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 2022

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Central Minnesota	450	41	$21.34/hr	$15.49/hr	$15.52/hr	$19.45/hr	$24.61/hr	$30.74/hr

Leading Industries for Printing Press Operators

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Manufacturing	4,510	$23.41/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	210	$15.36/hr
Information	320	$24.57/hr
Financial Activities	10	$20.41/hr
Professional and Business Services	1,120	$18.85/hr
Education and Health Services	50	$31.09/hr
Other Services	N/A	N/A
Public Administration	10	$26.63/hr

Other Regional Data for Printing Press Operators

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2020-2030
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	20	$18.94/hr	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	50	$19.43/hr	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	90	$24.20/hr	N/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA	110	$19.78/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	130	$19.43/hr	-11.7%
Fargo ND-MN MSA	130	$19.30/hr	N/A
Southwest Balance of State	190	$19.36/hr	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	300	$19.45/hr	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	320	$18.83/hr	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	360	$23.24/hr	N/A
Southeast Balance of State	380	$19.35/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	420	$19.43/hr	-7.9%
Central Minnesota	450	$19.45/hr	-8.4%
Northwest Balance of State	520	$19.35/hr	N/A
Northwest Minnesota	550	$19.35/hr	-5.0%
Southwest Minnesota	560	$22.25/hr	-10.7%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	4,080	$21.60/hr	-10.0%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	4,240	$21.92/hr	N/A
Minnesota	6,250	$19.98/hr	-9.5%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2020-2030
Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,700	$24.48/hr	-1.6%
Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,950	$24.34/hr	-8.6%
Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	1,790	$19.54/hr	-3.8%
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	150	$25.05/hr	-14.3%
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	4,170	$19.54/hr	-2.3%
Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers	N/A	N/A	N/A
Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners	N/A	$19.21/hr	N/A
Semiconductor Processing Technicians	290	$19.58/hr	N/A
Print Binding and Finishing Workers	1,620	$19.89/hr	-17.1%
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders	210	$23.78/hr	-0.9%

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.