Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

51-9196 Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Occupational Description:
Set up, operate, or tend paper goods machines that perform a variety of functions, such as converting, sawing, corrugating, banding, wrapping, boxing, stitching, forming, or sealing paper or paperboard sheets into products.

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	1,960	304	$28.26/hr	$19.79/hr	$23.24/hr	$28.60/hr	$31.13/hr	$36.55/hr

Leading Industries for Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Manufacturing	1,770	$29.45/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	N/A	N/A
Professional and Business Services	30	$19.00/hr

Other Regional Data for Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2024-2034
Northwest Minnesota	N/A	N/A	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	N/A	N/A	N/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	N/A	N/A	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	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
St Cloud MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northwest Balance of State	N/A	N/A	N/A
Southwest Balance of State	40	$22.50/hr	N/A
Central Minnesota	130	$27.67/hr	-10.2%
Southeast Balance of State	160	$26.19/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	170	$26.19/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	450	$31.78/hr	-18.4%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	1,110	$28.84/hr	-3.1%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	1,280	$28.44/hr	N/A
Minnesota	1,960	$28.60/hr	-11.4%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2024-2034
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	220	$27.15/hr	-17.6%
Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers	410	$25.87/hr	N/A
Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	670	$28.30/hr	-8.2%
Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,130	$28.65/hr	-8.5%
Printing Press Operators	4,960	$23.88/hr	-9.6%
Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners	90	$25.57/hr	-16.4%
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers	9,270	$29.64/hr	0.9%
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	6,130	$24.48/hr	-11.3%
Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	150	$30.00/hr	-15.0%
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand	120	$25.54/hr	-21.3%

Task for Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Start machines and move controls to regulate tension on pressure rolls, to synchronize speed of machine components, and to adjust temperatures of glue or paraffin.
Examine completed work to detect defects and verify conformance to work orders, and adjust machinery as necessary to correct production problems.
Adjust guide assemblies, forming bars, and folding mechanisms according to specifications, using hand tools.
Monitor finished cartons as they drop from forming machines into rotating hoppers and into gravity feed chutes to prevent jamming.
Stamp products with information such as dates, using hand stamps or automatic stamping devices.
Remove finished cores, and stack or place them on conveyors for transfer to other work areas.
Lift tote boxes of finished cartons, and dump cartons into feed hoppers.
Observe operation of various machines to detect and correct machine malfunctions such as improper forming, glue flow, or pasteboard tension.
Place rolls of paper or cardboard on machine feed tracks, and thread paper through gluing, coating, and slitting rollers.
Cut products to specified dimensions, using hand or power cutters.