Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

51-4033 Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Occupational Description:
Set up, operate, or tend grinding and related tools that remove excess material or burrs from surfaces, sharpen edges or corners, or buff, hone, or polish metal or plastic work pieces.

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	170	25	$24.64/hr	$19.83/hr	$21.15/hr	$24.04/hr	$27.57/hr	$29.74/hr

Leading Industries for Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Manufacturing	1,300	$24.31/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	N/A	N/A
Professional and Business Services	170	$19.01/hr

Other Regional Data for Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Northeast Minnesota	N/A	N/A	N/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	N/A	N/A	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	20	$25.00/hr	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	70	$21.41/hr	1.7%
St Cloud MN MSA	70	$27.16/hr	N/A
Southeast Balance of State	90	$19.97/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	100	$20.74/hr	-2.8%
Southwest Balance of State	100	$24.73/hr	N/A
Northwest Balance of State	160	$24.61/hr	N/A
Northwest Minnesota	170	$24.04/hr	0.7%
Central Minnesota	290	$24.83/hr	2.3%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	820	$24.06/hr	-6.0%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	1,030	$24.23/hr	N/A
Minnesota	1,490	$24.04/hr	-4.0%

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%
Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	90	$20.33/hr	-4.2%
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	5,570	$24.90/hr	-3.5%
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	140	$23.85/hr	N/A
Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	820	$26.56/hr	1.3%
Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners	60	$25.27/hr	-9.1%
Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	150	$28.26/hr	-6.0%
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing	720	$23.91/hr	5.1%
Printing Press Operators	4,800	$24.21/hr	-3.0%
Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	2,840	$23.02/hr	0.6%

Task for Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Inspect or measure finished workpieces to determine conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments, such as gauges or micrometers.
Brush or spray lubricating compounds on workpieces, or turn valve handles and direct flow of coolant against tools and workpieces.
Study blueprints, work orders, or machining instructions to determine product specifications, tool requirements, and operational sequences.
Set up, operate, or tend grinding and related tools that remove excess material or burrs from surfaces, sharpen edges or corners, or buff, hone, or polish metal or plastic workpieces.
Observe machine operations to detect any problems, making necessary adjustments to correct problems.
Set up, operate, or tend grinding and related tools that remove excess material or burrs from surfaces, sharpen edges or corners, or buff, hone, or polish metal or plastic workpieces.
Lift and position workpieces, manually or with hoists, and secure them in hoppers or on machine tables, faceplates, or chucks, using clamps.
Activate machine start-up switches to grind, lap, hone, debar, shear, or cut workpieces, according to specifications.
Select machine tooling to be used, using knowledge of machine and production requirements.
Measure workpieces and lay out work, using precision measuring devices.