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Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · SOC 51-4031

Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in the Washington Metro Area

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area

Figures describe the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan statistical area as defined by BLS/OMB — the whole multi-county metro region, not Washington city limits.

Median annual wage$46,950
Median hourly wage$22.57

Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area earned a median of $46,950 per year ($22.57 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $32,200 at the 10th percentile to $60,510 at the 90th. BLS estimates 170 people work in this occupation in the area.

Pay distribution

Half of Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in the Washington metro area earn more than $46,950 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $38,560 and $54,080.

Wage percentiles (BLS OEWS)
Wage10th25thMedian75th90th
Annual$32,200$38,560$46,950$54,080$60,510
Hourly$15.48$18.54$22.57$26.00$29.09

A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.

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How this area compares

  • Washington metro areathis metro area
    $46,950
  • United Statesnational
    $46,330

Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.

The median here is +1% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.

Compare with other areas

Where this metro sits nationally

$24,090$42,260$60,430$78,600San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR — $24,090Valdosta, GA — $33,820McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX — $33,840Columbus, GA-AL — $35,390El Paso, TX — $35,410Shreveport-Bossier City, LA — $35,730Corpus Christi, TX — $36,370Twin Falls, ID — $36,510Brownsville-Harlingen, TX — $36,610Idaho Falls, ID — $36,940Johnstown, PA — $36,960Lubbock, TX — $36,980Rocky Mount, NC — $37,090Auburn-Opelika, AL — $37,160Goldsboro, NC — $37,390Tyler, TX — $37,400Dothan, AL — $37,590Waco, TX — $37,700Charleston-North Charleston, SC — $37,880Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL — $38,040Mansfield, OH — $38,200North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL — $38,230La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN — $38,290Port St. Lucie, FL — $38,290Pittsfield, MA — $38,340Jefferson City, MO — $38,400Monroe, MI — $38,410Gadsden, AL — $38,420College Station-Bryan, TX — $38,500Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL — $38,580Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL — $38,650Bay City, MI — $38,740Savannah, GA — $38,840Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL — $38,890Trenton-Princeton, NJ — $39,000Coeur d'Alene, ID — $39,030Greensboro-High Point, NC — $39,150Altoona, PA — $39,300Macon-Bibb County, GA — $39,370Albuquerque, NM — $39,440Lima, OH — $39,440Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL — $39,440Battle Creek, MI — $39,510Lewiston, ID-WA — $39,520Traverse City, MI — $39,600Anniston-Oxford, AL — $39,720Morristown, TN — $39,860Memphis, TN-MS-AR — $39,880State College, PA — $39,940Owensboro, KY — $39,970Abilene, TX — $40,000Longview, TX — $40,010Johnson City, TN — $40,110Killeen-Temple, TX — $40,180Wichita Falls, TX — $40,260Waterbury-Shelton, CT — $40,290Fort Smith, AR-OK — $40,480Boise City, ID — $40,560Springfield, MA — $40,560Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC — $40,610Raleigh-Cary, NC — $40,620Sioux City, IA-NE-SD — $40,680Dalton, GA — $40,730Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL — $40,800Athens-Clarke County, GA — $40,840Tuscaloosa, AL — $40,920Joplin, MO-KS — $40,930Oklahoma City, OK — $40,930Niles, MI — $41,090Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC — $41,240Chattanooga, TN-GA — $41,320Youngstown-Warren, OH — $41,440Paducah, KY-IL — $41,470Ocala, FL — $41,510San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX — $41,530Dover, DE — $41,640Jacksonville, FL — $41,650Sherman-Denison, TX — $41,740Gulfport-Biloxi, MS — $41,980Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI — $42,050Spartanburg, SC — $42,300Burlington, NC — $42,480Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA — $42,630Ann Arbor, MI — $42,650Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR — $42,720Wilmington, NC — $42,890Fort Wayne, IN — $42,960Montgomery, AL — $43,030Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL — $43,030Jackson, TN — $43,150Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH — $43,250Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX — $43,420Erie, PA — $43,470Syracuse, NY — $43,610Visalia, CA — $43,710Cleveland, TN — $43,720Columbia, SC — $43,790Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC — $43,830Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA — $43,920Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX — $43,950Mobile, AL — $43,960Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL — $44,060Logan, UT-ID — $44,060Kokomo, IN — $44,080Bloomington, IN — $44,130Elmira, NY — $44,190Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH — $44,220Amherst Town-Northampton, MA — $44,350Lebanon, PA — $44,400Michigan City-La Porte, IN — $44,410Binghamton, NY — $44,440Kalamazoo-Portage, MI — $44,440Lexington-Fayette, KY — $44,440Sioux Falls, SD-MN — $44,550Texarkana, TX-AR — $44,610Bowling Green, KY — $44,790Pocatello, ID — $44,790Florence, SC — $44,800Worcester, MA — $44,800Odessa, TX — $44,820Jackson, MI — $44,840Springfield, OH — $44,840Columbus, OH — $44,890Jackson, MS — $45,070Merced, CA — $45,130Springfield, MO — $45,230Birmingham, AL — $45,270Decatur, AL — $45,350Knoxville, TN — $45,420Tucson, AZ — $45,430Wichita, KS — $45,460Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX — $45,470Toledo, OH — $45,500Kingston, NY — $45,540Clarksville, TN-KY — $45,560Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA — $45,570Midland, TX — $45,600Elkhart-Goshen, IN — $45,620Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN — $45,650Eugene-Springfield, OR — $45,690Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC — $45,760Akron, OH — $45,770Grand Junction, CO — $45,840Tulsa, OK — $45,860Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT — $45,870Durham-Chapel Hill, NC — $45,930Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV — $45,940Madison, WI — $45,980Muncie, IN — $46,010Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT — $46,020Manhattan, KS — $46,030Bakersfield-Delano, CA — $46,060Anchorage, AK — $46,100Cedar Rapids, IA — $46,170South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI — $46,270Peoria, IL — $46,280Cleveland, OH — $46,300Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA — $46,310Manchester-Nashua, NH — $46,380New Orleans-Metairie, LA — $46,380Wausau, WI — $46,470Providence-Warwick, RI-MA — $46,540Utica-Rome, NY — $46,570Rochester, NY — $46,580Eau Claire, WI — $46,590Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ — $46,640Ogden, UT — $46,670Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN — $46,740York-Hanover, PA — $46,790Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV — $46,900Williamsport, PA — $46,930Kankakee, IL — $46,940Pittsburgh, PA — $46,940Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV — $46,950Yakima, WA — $46,960Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA — $46,980Canton-Massillon, OH — $46,990Rockford, IL — $47,030Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC — $47,120Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA — $47,160Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN — $47,170Greeley, CO — $47,190Asheville, NC — $47,230Fargo, ND-MN — $47,230Baton Rouge, LA — $47,240New Haven, CT — $47,240Salt Lake City-Murray, UT — $47,250Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT — $47,300Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI — $47,330New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ — $47,360Duluth, MN-WI — $47,410Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA — $47,410Gainesville, GA — $47,470Champaign-Urbana, IL — $47,560Janesville-Beloit, WI — $47,630Carson City, NV — $47,690Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY — $47,790Evansville, IN — $47,790Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA — $47,830Columbus, IN — $47,880Colorado Springs, CO — $47,890Huntsville, AL — $48,000Chambersburg, PA — $48,030Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH — $48,080Fresno, CA — $48,100Lynchburg, VA — $48,100Lawrence, KS — $48,130Lansing-East Lansing, MI — $48,200Gettysburg, PA — $48,300St. Cloud, MN — $48,370Fort Collins-Loveland, CO — $48,390Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA — $48,510Winston-Salem, NC — $48,520San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA — $48,600Topeka, KS — $48,600Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA — $48,640Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI — $48,650Roanoke, VA — $48,700Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI — $48,710Medford, OR — $48,760Lancaster, PA — $48,780Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI — $48,920Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD — $49,000Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD — $49,000San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA — $49,040Billings, MT — $49,210Richmond, VA — $49,270Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY — $49,430Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL — $49,430Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY — $49,520Stockton-Lodi, CA — $49,540Longview-Kelso, WA — $49,570Reno, NV — $49,600Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA — $49,600Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT — $49,610Omaha, NE-IA — $49,610Amarillo, TX — $49,690Dubuque, IA — $49,740Salem, OR — $50,330Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI — $50,460Napa, CA — $50,510Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA — $50,610Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN — $50,770Green Bay, WI — $50,820Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA — $50,920Ithaca, NY — $50,980Columbia, MO — $51,080Kenosha, WI — $51,130Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR — $51,160Pueblo, CO — $51,590Jonesboro, AR — $51,610Glens Falls, NY — $51,630Fond du Lac, WI — $51,780Boulder, CO — $51,980Vallejo, CA — $52,360St. Louis, MO-IL — $52,630Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA — $52,630Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN — $52,710Portland-South Portland, ME — $52,780Rochester, MN — $52,830Kansas City, MO-KS — $52,840Sheboygan, WI — $52,850Appleton, WI — $53,560Modesto, CA — $53,600Bend, OR — $53,680Reading, PA — $54,760Sandusky, OH — $54,770Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA — $54,920Saginaw, MI — $55,630Albany, OR — $56,410Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA — $57,110Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA — $57,290Lincoln, NE — $57,780Mankato, MN — $57,850Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO — $58,240San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA — $58,580Lewiston-Auburn, ME — $59,300Bellingham, WA — $59,380Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ — $60,080Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN — $60,230Oshkosh-Neenah, WI — $62,250Rome, GA — $63,740Flint, MI — $78,600

Each dot is one metro area with a published median — hover any dot for the name and figure. Metros without published estimates are not drawn.

The Washington metro area has the 110th-highest published median for this occupation among the 283 metro areas where BLS publishes it. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Keep exploring

Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:

Bakers$38,650First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$77,990Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$36,300Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$46,400Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$61,820Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$60,670

Highest-paying metro areas for cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics · Highest-paying occupations in Washington Metro

About this estimate

These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.

Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.