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 2025

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Southwest Minnesota	260	34	$26.70/hr	$23.00/hr	$25.83/hr	$26.02/hr	$29.53/hr	$30.35/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	1,360	$25.97/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	70	$30.01/hr
Leisure and Hospitality	70	$22.53/hr

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

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	20	$24.68/hr	N/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA	30	$22.37/hr	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	30	$28.84/hr	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	30	$25.30/hr	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	30	$22.55/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	50	$22.37/hr	10.8%
Northwest Balance of State	80	$24.51/hr	N/A
Northwest Minnesota	90	$24.51/hr	7.4%
Southwest Balance of State	100	$27.85/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	260	$29.15/hr	1.8%
Southwest Minnesota	260	$26.02/hr	2.0%
Central Minnesota	330	$21.92/hr	17.5%
Southeast Balance of State	400	$27.49/hr	N/A
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	510	$27.44/hr	3.5%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	630	$27.44/hr	N/A
Minnesota	1,510	$25.97/hr	4.5%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	580	$28.42/hr	-4.6%
Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	110	$22.94/hr	-7.6%
Plant and System Operators, All Other	220	$40.59/hr	1.7%
Power Plant Operators	710	$43.05/hr	-10.7%
Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators	1,540	$35.95/hr	3.3%
Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	140	$25.89/hr	-5.3%
Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders	40	$21.28/hr	5.9%
Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders	240	$27.23/hr	-2.6%
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders	N/A	$27.11/hr	2.6%
Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,480	$25.15/hr	3.5%

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.