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 2024

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Northwest Minnesota	560	62	$23.14/hr	$19.73/hr	$21.18/hr	$23.43/hr	$23.89/hr	$27.87/hr

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

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Manufacturing	4,340	$23.86/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	380	$19.64/hr
Professional and Business Services	400	$19.28/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
St Cloud MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	40	$22.27/hr	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	60	$21.99/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	100	$19.50/hr	-3.7%
Duluth MN-WI MSA	100	$19.50/hr	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	130	$23.14/hr	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	130	$22.87/hr	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	170	$20.38/hr	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	200	$21.59/hr	-1.0%
Southwest Balance of State	210	$22.71/hr	N/A
Central Minnesota	550	$23.16/hr	2.2%
Northwest Balance of State	550	$23.43/hr	N/A
Northwest Minnesota	560	$23.43/hr	4.9%
Southeast Balance of State	570	$23.60/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	630	$23.60/hr	-0.6%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	2,930	$23.79/hr	-6.2%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	3,410	$23.69/hr	N/A
Minnesota	5,130	$23.60/hr	-3.5%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,480	$26.61/hr	1.9%
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	N/A	$24.97/hr	N/A
Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	90	$18.46/hr	-4.2%
Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	1,780	$20.41/hr	-4.0%
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood	750	$23.76/hr	3.2%
Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	3,140	$20.63/hr	0.6%
Machinists	11,720	$29.59/hr	7.6%
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing	640	$21.47/hr	5.1%
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers	9,670	$27.54/hr	6.1%
Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	110	$20.50/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.