Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

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

Occupational Description:
Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
First Quarter 2026

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Minnesota	6,130	809	$25.01/hr	$17.05/hr	$21.07/hr	$24.48/hr	$29.57/hr	$31.82/hr

Leading Industries for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Construction	N/A	N/A
Manufacturing	4,690	$25.01/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	400	$25.54/hr
Professional and Business Services	1,010	$17.05/hr
Other Services	N/A	N/A

Other Regional Data for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	60	$26.15/hr	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	60	$28.44/hr	N/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA	110	$23.31/hr	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	110	$23.23/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	110	$23.52/hr	-3.7%
St Cloud MN MSA	160	$23.79/hr	N/A
Southwest Balance of State	170	$24.33/hr	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	190	$18.83/hr	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	200	$25.98/hr	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	220	$28.30/hr	-1.0%
Northwest Minnesota	400	$23.66/hr	4.9%
Northwest Balance of State	400	$23.66/hr	N/A
Southeast Balance of State	650	$28.30/hr	N/A
Central Minnesota	650	$23.79/hr	2.2%
Southeast Minnesota	780	$27.72/hr	-0.6%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	3,920	$24.03/hr	-6.2%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	4,490	$23.95/hr	N/A
Minnesota	6,130	$24.48/hr	-3.5%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,130	$28.65/hr	1.9%
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	220	$27.15/hr	N/A
Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	100	$20.39/hr	-4.2%
Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	1,400	$25.47/hr	-4.0%
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood	500	$25.24/hr	3.2%
Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	2,230	$24.38/hr	0.6%
Machinists	12,500	$30.06/hr	7.6%
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing	710	$25.35/hr	5.1%
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers	9,270	$29.64/hr	6.1%
Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	110	$23.12/hr	-11.1%

Task for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Clean work area.
Clean and lubricate machines.
Mark identifying data on workpieces.
Plan sequences of operations, applying knowledge of physical properties of workpiece materials.
Position, align, and secure workpieces against fixtures or stops on machine beds or on dies.
Load workpieces, plastic material, or chemical solutions into machines.
Read work orders or production schedules to determine specifications, such as materials to be used, locations of cutting lines, or dimensions and tolerances.
Test and adjust machine speeds or actions, according to product specifications, using gauges and hand tools.
Start machines, monitor their operations, and record operational data.
Set blade tensions, heights, and angles to perform prescribed cuts, using wrenches.