Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

51-9021 Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Occupational Description:
Set up, operate, or tend machines to crush, grind, or polish materials, such as coal, glass, grain, stone, food, or rubber.

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
First Quarter 2026

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Minnesota	660	94	$29.50/hr	$22.38/hr	$24.23/hr	$27.81/hr	$35.45/hr	$40.23/hr

Leading Industries for Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Natural Resources and Mining	90	$41.45/hr
Construction	N/A	N/A
Manufacturing	550	$27.23/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	20	$23.07/hr
Professional and Business Services	N/A	N/A

Other Regional Data for Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Northeast Balance of State	N/A	N/A	N/A
La Crosse WI-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
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	30	$23.48/hr	N/A
Southwest Balance of State	40	$26.34/hr	N/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA	60	$41.45/hr	N/A
Northwest Minnesota	70	$27.23/hr	-3.8%
Fargo ND-MN MSA	70	$27.58/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	70	$41.45/hr	-11.8%
Northwest Balance of State	70	$27.23/hr	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	80	$25.01/hr	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	100	$28.59/hr	-2.8%
Central Minnesota	110	$25.01/hr	-2.5%
Southeast Balance of State	120	$26.66/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	140	$26.66/hr	N/A
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	170	$28.93/hr	0.0%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	230	$29.45/hr	N/A
Minnesota	660	$27.81/hr	-4.6%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,810	$28.12/hr	4.5%
Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers	410	$25.87/hr	N/A
Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	90	$20.21/hr	-7.6%
Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	50	$29.82/hr	-5.3%
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders	120	$27.80/hr	N/A
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	6,130	$24.48/hr	-3.5%
Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders	200	$37.31/hr	-2.6%
Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders	N/A	$37.65/hr	N/A
Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders	100	$23.07/hr	5.9%
Pourers and Casters, Metal	30	$28.59/hr	-2.0%

Task for Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Mark bins as to types of mixtures stored.
Inspect chains, belts, or scrolls for signs of wear.
Clean, adjust, and maintain equipment, using hand tools.
Clean work areas.
Break mixtures to size, using picks.
Collect samples of materials or products for laboratory testing.
Read work orders to determine production specifications and information.
Dislodge and clear jammed materials or other items from machinery and equipment, using hand tools.
Tend accessory equipment, such as pumps and conveyors, to move materials or ingredients through production processes.
Test samples of materials or products to ensure compliance with specifications, using test equipment.