Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

51-9124 Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Occupational Description:
Set up, operate, or tend spraying or rolling machines to coat or paint any of a wide variety of products, including glassware, cloth, ceramics, metal, plastic, paper, or wood, with lacquer, silver, copper, rubber, varnish, glaze, enamel, oil, or rust-proofing materials. Includes painters of transportation vehicles such as painters in auto body repair facilities. Excludes ?Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic? (51-4193).

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	3,430	202	$27.46/hr	$20.04/hr	$22.84/hr	$25.67/hr	$30.74/hr	$34.64/hr

Leading Industries for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Manufacturing	2,430	$25.22/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	410	$28.88/hr
Professional and Business Services	150	$22.57/hr
Other Services	440	$31.83/hr
Public Administration	N/A	N/A

Other Regional Data for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2024-2034
Northeast Balance of State	50	$25.70/hr	N/A
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	60	$30.11/hr	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	90	$22.79/hr	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	120	$23.22/hr	N/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA	130	$27.45/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	150	$27.45/hr	0.0%
Rochester MN MSA	190	$26.75/hr	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	190	$27.73/hr	N/A
Southeast Balance of State	220	$22.57/hr	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	230	$23.41/hr	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	250	$24.90/hr	3.7%
Northwest Balance of State	360	$25.37/hr	N/A
Northwest Minnesota	380	$25.43/hr	3.4%
Southwest Balance of State	380	$30.52/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	390	$23.81/hr	5.5%
Central Minnesota	670	$29.12/hr	8.9%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	1,500	$25.69/hr	1.5%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	1,790	$25.42/hr	N/A
Minnesota	3,430	$25.67/hr	-0.8%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2024-2034
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood	500	$25.24/hr	-2.5%
Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	100	$20.39/hr	-9.6%
Conveyor Operators and Tenders	460	$21.13/hr	3.5%
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	6,130	$24.48/hr	-11.3%
Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,130	$28.65/hr	-8.5%
Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	900	$25.49/hr	-5.1%
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	54,480	$22.74/hr	1.0%
Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	2,230	$24.38/hr	-6.0%
Printing Press Operators	4,960	$23.88/hr	-9.6%
Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders	N/A	$37.65/hr	N/A

Task for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Operate auxiliary machines or equipment used in coating or painting processes.
Examine, measure, weigh, or test sample products to ensure conformance to specifications.
Observe machine gauges and equipment operation to detect defects or deviations from standards, and make adjustments as necessary.
Hold or position spray guns to direct spray onto articles.
Turn dials, handwheels, valves, or switches to regulate conveyor speeds, machine temperature, air pressure and circulation, and the flow or spray of coatings or paints.
Remove materials, parts, or workpieces from painting or coating machines, using hand tools.
Determine paint flow, viscosity, and coating quality by performing visual inspections, or by using viscometers.
Record operational data on specified forms.
Start and stop operation of machines, using levers or buttons.
Attach hoses or nozzles to machines, using wrenches and pliers, and make adjustments to obtain the proper dispersion of spray.