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 2025

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Northwest Minnesota	610	65	$23.98/hr	$18.47/hr	$22.12/hr	$24.76/hr	$24.76/hr	$30.34/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	4,470	$24.76/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	640	$24.56/hr
Professional and Business Services	420	$28.46/hr

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	50	$26.28/hr	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	70	$27.34/hr	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	90	$27.15/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	110	$20.83/hr	-3.7%
Duluth MN-WI MSA	120	$22.19/hr	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	130	$22.93/hr	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	150	$24.99/hr	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	260	$18.12/hr	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	270	$24.45/hr	-1.0%
Southwest Balance of State	270	$24.84/hr	N/A
Central Minnesota	540	$24.01/hr	2.2%
Northwest Balance of State	600	$24.76/hr	N/A
Northwest Minnesota	610	$24.76/hr	4.9%
Southeast Balance of State	670	$24.34/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	750	$24.99/hr	-0.6%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	3,240	$25.25/hr	-6.2%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	3,700	$25.09/hr	N/A
Minnesota	5,570	$24.90/hr	-3.5%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,330	$27.58/hr	1.9%
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	140	$23.85/hr	N/A
Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	90	$20.33/hr	-4.2%
Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	1,490	$24.04/hr	-4.0%
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood	850	$23.91/hr	3.2%
Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	2,840	$23.02/hr	0.6%
Machinists	14,910	$29.26/hr	7.6%
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing	720	$23.91/hr	5.1%
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers	9,420	$28.71/hr	6.1%
Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	120	$21.91/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.