Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

51-5112 Printing Press Operators

Occupational Description:
Set up and operate digital, letterpress, lithographic, flexographic, gravure, or other printing machines. Includes short-run offset printing presses.

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
First Quarter 2024

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Minnesota	5,860	182	$23.99/hr	$16.50/hr	$18.36/hr	$22.54/hr	$29.48/hr	$34.62/hr

Leading Industries for Printing Press Operators

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Manufacturing	4,390	$23.19/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	250	$16.19/hr
Information	430	$22.97/hr
Financial Activities	10	$33.59/hr
Professional and Business Services	730	$18.81/hr
Education and Health Services	50	$30.19/hr
Leisure and Hospitality	N/A	N/A
Public Administration	10	$28.55/hr

Other Regional Data for Printing Press Operators

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Northeast Balance of State	10	$22.30/hr	N/A
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	30	$18.37/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	60	$20.03/hr	-12.0%
Duluth MN-WI MSA	70	$21.90/hr	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	110	$25.50/hr	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	200	$18.54/hr	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	210	$23.37/hr	N/A
Southwest Balance of State	210	$21.90/hr	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	270	$20.28/hr	N/A
Southeast Balance of State	270	$18.57/hr	N/A
Northwest Balance of State	330	$20.82/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	350	$22.86/hr	-1.6%
Northwest Minnesota	360	$20.82/hr	-3.8%
Central Minnesota	390	$21.57/hr	-2.3%
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	510	$18.52/hr	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	690	$21.47/hr	-2.6%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	3,920	$23.04/hr	-3.2%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	4,070	$23.00/hr	N/A
Minnesota	5,860	$22.54/hr	-3.0%

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%
Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	2,280	$24.85/hr	-5.6%
Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	1,780	$20.41/hr	-4.0%
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	N/A	$24.97/hr	N/A
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	5,130	$23.60/hr	-3.5%
Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers	120	$42.91/hr	1.4%
Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners	60	$26.42/hr	-9.1%
Semiconductor Processing Technicians	380	$22.73/hr	14.6%
Print Binding and Finishing Workers	1,890	$23.04/hr	-8.9%
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders	90	$28.68/hr	2.6%

Task for Printing Press Operators

Monitor environmental factors, such as humidity and temperature, that may impact equipment performance and make necessary adjustments.
Collect and inspect random samples during print runs to identify any necessary adjustments.
Start presses and pull proofs to check for ink coverage and density, alignment, and registration.
Download or scan files to be printed, using printing production software.
Clean ink fountains, plates, or printing unit cylinders when press runs are completed.
Monitor automated press operation systems and respond to fault, error, or alert messages.
Secure printing plates to printing units and adjust tolerances.
Direct or monitor work of press crews.
Maintain time or production records.
Download or scan files to be printed, using printing production software.