Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

51-9012 Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Occupational Description:
Set up, operate, or tend continuous flow or vat-type equipment; filter presses; shaker screens; centrifuges; condenser tubes; precipitating, fermenting, or evaporating tanks; scrubbing towers; or batch stills. These machines extract, sort, or separate liquids, gases, or solids from other materials to recover a refined product. Includes dairy processing equipment operators. Excludes “Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders" (51-9011).

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
First Quarter 2026

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Northeast Minnesota	70	12	$23.26/hr	$14.91/hr	$19.67/hr	$23.76/hr	$26.10/hr	$29.44/hr

Leading Industries for Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Natural Resources and Mining	N/A	N/A
Manufacturing	1,410	$27.75/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	40	$31.52/hr
Professional and Business Services	100	$24.23/hr
Leisure and Hospitality	240	$29.51/hr

Other Regional Data for Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2024-2034
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	30	$23.77/hr	N/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA	40	$23.91/hr	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	40	$29.49/hr	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	70	$29.66/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	70	$23.76/hr	10.8%
St Cloud MN MSA	100	$23.15/hr	N/A
Northwest Balance of State	130	$26.62/hr	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	170	$24.87/hr	N/A
Northwest Minnesota	180	$27.32/hr	7.4%
Southwest Balance of State	190	$26.63/hr	N/A
Central Minnesota	260	$26.77/hr	17.5%
Southeast Minnesota	270	$30.23/hr	1.8%
Southwest Minnesota	330	$26.82/hr	2.0%
Southeast Balance of State	410	$28.37/hr	N/A
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	680	$28.62/hr	3.5%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	790	$28.37/hr	N/A
Minnesota	1,810	$28.12/hr	-11.5%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2024-2034
Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	660	$27.81/hr	-5.5%
Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	90	$20.21/hr	-12.8%
Plant and System Operators, All Other	200	$43.42/hr	-2.3%
Power Plant Operators	970	$46.42/hr	-11.9%
Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators	1,440	$37.30/hr	1.2%
Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	50	$29.82/hr	-7.3%
Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders	100	$23.07/hr	0.0%
Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders	200	$37.31/hr	1.2%
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders	120	$27.80/hr	N/A
Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,760	$29.14/hr	-7.7%

Task for Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Monitor material flow or instruments, such as temperature or pressure gauges, indicators, or meters, to ensure optimal processing conditions.
Inspect machines or equipment for hazards, operating efficiency, malfunctions, wear, or leaks.
Maintain logs of instrument readings, test results, or shift production for entry in computer databases.
Operate machines to process materials in compliance with applicable safety, energy, or environmental regulations.
Test samples to determine viscosity, acidity, specific gravity, or degree of concentration, using test equipment such as viscometers, pH meters, or hydrometers.
Communicate processing instructions to other workers.
Examine samples to verify qualities such as clarity, cleanliness, consistency, dryness, or texture.
Set up or adjust machine controls to regulate conditions such as material flow, temperature, or pressure.
Collect samples of materials or products for laboratory analysis.
Measure or weigh materials to be refined, mixed, transferred, stored, or otherwise processed.