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How Much Does a Paper Goods Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender Make?
A paper goods machine setter, operator, and tender in the US earns a median salary of $50,270 a year, or $24.17 an hour (BLS, May 2025). The average is $52,840, and the middle half earn between $44,920 and $60,180.
Paper goods machine setter, operator, and tender pay range
What paper goods 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%) | $37,300 | $17.93 | |
| 25th | $44,920 | $21.60 | |
| Median (50th) | $50,270 | $24.17 | |
| 75th | $60,180 | $28.93 | |
| 90th (top 10%) | $70,320 | $33.81 |
The median is 1% less than the $50,980 median for all US jobs. About 96,130 people work as paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders in the US.
After tax and by period
- A week
- $967
- Every two weeks
- $1,933
- Twice a month
- $2,095
- A month
- $4,189
At the median salary, before tax.
Paper goods machine setter, operator, and tender salary by state
Sorted by average pay. Louisiana pays paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders the most, at $61,080 a year on average.
| State | Average | Median | Jobs | After tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | $61,080 | $58,230 | 1,150 | After tax |
| Idaho | $60,810 | $57,950 | 480 | After tax |
| Maine | $60,780 | $61,780 | 740 | After tax |
| Washington | $58,970 | $59,410 | 2,170 | After tax |
| Oregon | $58,860 | $56,810 | 680 | After tax |
| Kentucky | $58,480 | $58,050 | 2,670 | After tax |
| Oklahoma | $58,480 | $63,640 | 1,390 | After tax |
| Utah | $58,230 | $60,790 | 1,350 | After tax |
| Minnesota | $57,470 | $58,150 | 1,960 | After tax |
| Wisconsin | $56,430 | $58,050 | 8,510 | After tax |
| Alabama | $55,280 | $52,290 | 3,800 | After tax |
| Iowa | $54,610 | $46,110 | 1,010 | After tax |
| South Carolina | $54,490 | $50,040 | 2,460 | After tax |
| Illinois | $54,030 | $56,400 | 5,360 | After tax |
| New Hampshire | $53,990 | $50,200 | 230 | After tax |
| Connecticut | $53,910 | $48,530 | 650 | After tax |
| Michigan | $53,580 | $50,540 | 3,000 | After tax |
| Pennsylvania | $53,220 | $51,780 | 7,410 | After tax |
| New York | $52,840 | $52,800 | 3,280 | After tax |
| Virginia | $52,620 | $49,900 | 2,370 | After tax |
| New Mexico | $52,170 | $53,930 | 100 | After tax |
| Massachusetts | $52,120 | $48,840 | 1,920 | After tax |
| Georgia | $52,110 | $50,160 | 5,650 | After tax |
| Florida | $51,980 | $48,910 | 1,360 | After tax |
| Mississippi | $51,890 | $47,380 | 960 | After tax |
| Colorado | $51,690 | $48,940 | 240 | After tax |
| California | $51,600 | $48,730 | 5,570 | After tax |
| Arkansas | $50,660 | $48,630 | 2,060 | After tax |
| Ohio | $50,350 | $47,450 | 4,640 | After tax |
| Indiana | $49,710 | $48,780 | 2,580 | After tax |
| Missouri | $49,550 | $47,560 | 1,540 | After tax |
| Nevada | $49,080 | $47,780 | 380 | After tax |
| Texas | $48,900 | $47,830 | 3,740 | After tax |
| Maryland | $48,640 | $47,780 | 480 | After tax |
| North Carolina | $48,430 | $47,940 | 4,800 | After tax |
| New Jersey | $47,890 | $45,950 | 3,210 | After tax |
| Arizona | $47,450 | $49,160 | 1,190 | After tax |
| Tennessee | $47,120 | $46,920 | 3,490 | After tax |
| Nebraska | $47,010 | $47,980 | 300 | After tax |
| Delaware | $46,950 | $48,110 | 160 | After tax |
| Rhode Island | $45,800 | $48,710 | 240 | After tax |
| Kansas | $45,740 | $45,840 | 420 | After tax |
| South Dakota | $45,160 | $46,910 | 130 | After tax |
| Puerto Rico | $32,600 | $30,530 | 240 |
A dash means BLS did not publish that figure for the state.
Other production jobs
- Miscellaneous assembler and fabricator $44,650 median
- First-line supervisor of production and operating workers $74,450 median
- Inspector, tester, sorter, sampler, and weigher $48,570 median
- Welder $53,750 median
- Packaging and filling machine operator and tender $43,220 median
- Machinist $58,750 median
- Electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assembler $45,850 median
- Baker $37,160 median
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (published 2026), for “Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders” (SOC 51-9196). 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 Search for a job or pick one from the list.
- 2 Read the median salary, hourly pay and the pay range.
- 3 Check the salary by state to see where the job pays most.
- 4 Open the take-home pay calculator to see the salary after tax.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a paper goods machine setter, operator, and tender make an hour?
The median hourly wage for a paper goods machine setter, operator, and tender is $24.17, and the average is $25.40. The lowest-paid 10% earn under $17.93 an hour and the top 10% over $33.81.
How much does a paper goods machine setter, operator, and tender make a month?
At the median salary of $50,270, a paper goods machine setter, operator, and tender earns about $4,189 a month before tax, or $1,933 every two weeks.
Which state pays paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders the most?
Louisiana has the highest average pay for a paper goods machine setter, operator, and tender, at $61,080 a year. Next are Idaho and Maine. Pay is usually higher where living costs are higher, so compare take-home pay too.
What is the starting salary for a paper goods machine setter, operator, and tender?
The lowest-paid 10% of paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders earn less than $37,300 a year, and the lowest 25% less than $44,920. That is a fair guide to starting pay, which depends on the state, the employer and your experience.
How much do the highest-paid paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders make?
The top 10% earn more than $70,320 a year, and the top 25% more than $60,180.
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