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How Much Does a Cutting and Slicing Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender Make?

A cutting and slicing machine setter, operator, and tender in the US earns a median salary of $46,570 a year, or $22.39 an hour (BLS, May 2025). The average is $47,460, and the middle half earn between $39,440 and $53,800.

Median a year $46,570
Median an hour $22.39
Median a month $3,881
Average a year $47,460

Cutting and slicing machine setter, operator, and tender pay range

What cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders earn at each point of the pay scale. The 10th percentile is a rough guide to starting pay.

Percentile A year An hour
10th (lowest 10%) $35,930 $17.27
25th $39,440 $18.96
Median (50th) $46,570 $22.39
75th $53,800 $25.87
90th (top 10%) $61,120 $29.39

The median is 9% less than the $50,980 median for all US jobs. About 44,980 people work as cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders in the US.

After tax and by period

A week
$896
Every two weeks
$1,791
Twice a month
$1,940
A month
$3,881

At the median salary, before tax.

Cutting and slicing machine setter, operator, and tender salary by state

Sorted by average pay. Minnesota pays cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders the most, at $57,140 a year on average.

State Average Median Jobs After tax
Minnesota $57,140 $58,260 1,130 After tax
Vermont $54,860 $52,220 100 After tax
Washington $54,190 $50,430 760 After tax
Oregon $54,140 $51,180 990 After tax
New Hampshire $53,270 $50,290 90 After tax
Illinois $52,770 $49,740 1,770 After tax
Iowa $52,110 $49,600 920 After tax
Montana $51,870 $51,540 100 After tax
Colorado $51,580 $51,750 700 After tax
New York $51,400 $49,680 1,870 After tax
Missouri $51,320 $50,930 1,120 After tax
North Dakota $51,070 $47,480 70 After tax
Arkansas $50,750 $47,320 800 After tax
New Jersey $50,010 $48,600 1,040 After tax
Kentucky $49,050 $48,180 900 After tax
Nebraska $49,040 $48,300 530 After tax
Wisconsin $48,330 $48,040 1,300 After tax
Ohio $47,880 $48,400 3,000 After tax
Pennsylvania $47,770 $46,850 1,630 After tax
Idaho $47,680 $46,840 160 After tax
California $47,580 $46,110 3,080 After tax
Arizona $47,510 $46,780 760 After tax
Indiana $47,490 $46,150 2,110 After tax
South Carolina $47,250 $47,410 730 After tax
Michigan $46,740 $44,620 730 After tax
South Dakota $46,700 $44,980 460 After tax
Maine $46,330 $49,200 160 After tax
Nevada $46,260 $43,470 340 After tax
Maryland $46,200 $44,820 280 After tax
Utah $46,160 $45,510 740 After tax
Virginia $45,740 $44,790 840 After tax
Kansas $45,650 $44,760 760 After tax
Connecticut $45,230 $44,530 450 After tax
Massachusetts $44,920 $43,790 1,280 After tax
North Carolina $44,840 $43,770 3,100 After tax
Rhode Island $44,470 $45,950 210 After tax
Louisiana $44,370 $41,170 110 After tax
Alaska $44,320 $46,240 30 After tax
Georgia $43,970 $44,130 1,230 After tax
Florida $43,920 $40,540 1,370 After tax
Alabama $43,640 $39,740 590 After tax
Mississippi $43,010 $41,590 710 After tax
Tennessee $42,920 $44,030 1,260 After tax
Texas $42,860 $42,210 3,650 After tax
West Virginia $41,210 $37,920 160 After tax
Oklahoma $40,560 $37,910 620 After tax
New Mexico $36,520 $32,770 200 After tax
Puerto Rico $30,200 $25,010 50

A dash means BLS did not publish that figure for the state.

Other production jobs

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (published 2026), for “Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders” (SOC 51-9032). Wages are before tax and leave out self-employed workers. All job salaries

About the Job Salaries

Job Salaries shows what more than 500 US jobs pay, from nurses and electricians to software developers and truck drivers. Each job has its median and average salary, hourly and monthly pay, the pay range from the lowest-paid 10% to the top 10%, and a table of pay in every state. The figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, the largest survey of US pay, in its latest release.

How to use it

  1. 1 Search for a job or pick one from the list.
  2. 2 Read the median salary, hourly pay and the pay range.
  3. 3 Check the salary by state to see where the job pays most.
  4. 4 Open the take-home pay calculator to see the salary after tax.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a cutting and slicing machine setter, operator, and tender make an hour?

The median hourly wage for a cutting and slicing machine setter, operator, and tender is $22.39, and the average is $22.82. The lowest-paid 10% earn under $17.27 an hour and the top 10% over $29.39.

How much does a cutting and slicing machine setter, operator, and tender make a month?

At the median salary of $46,570, a cutting and slicing machine setter, operator, and tender earns about $3,881 a month before tax, or $1,791 every two weeks.

Which state pays cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders the most?

Minnesota has the highest average pay for a cutting and slicing machine setter, operator, and tender, at $57,140 a year. Next are Vermont and Washington. Pay is usually higher where living costs are higher, so compare take-home pay too.

What is the starting salary for a cutting and slicing machine setter, operator, and tender?

The lowest-paid 10% of cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders earn less than $35,930 a year, and the lowest 25% less than $39,440. That is a fair guide to starting pay, which depends on the state, the employer and your experience.

How much do the highest-paid cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders make?

The top 10% earn more than $61,120 a year, and the top 25% more than $53,800.