Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand Salary: $46,148 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 11,850 grinding and polishing workers, hand nationally earn a mean of $46,148. Employment in the series shown fell about 19% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 6.3% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand: what the data shows
Common questions about grinding and polishing workers, hand careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a grinding and polishing workers, hand?
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-9022.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 11,850 workers.
What does a grinding and polishing workers, hand do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Performing General Physical Activities, Handling and Moving Objects, Controlling Machines and Processes, Thinking Creatively, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a grinding and polishing workers, hand make?
BLS national median annual wage: $41,690 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $46,148 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,376 |
| 25th percentile | $39,151 |
| Median (50th) | $44,291 |
| 75th percentile | $49,729 |
| 90th percentile | $60,173 |
What education do you need?
For Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Quality Control Analysis, Operations Monitoring, Equipment Maintenance, Operation and Control, Repairing, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Production and Processing, Mechanical, English Language, Mathematics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is grinding and polishing workers, hand in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 6.3% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -27.8%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -47.9%.
Current U.S. headcount: 11,850.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do grinding and polishing workers, hands work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 11,850 | 20.0% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 11,840 | 19.9% |
| Manufacturing | 10,010 | 16.9% |
| Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 2,740 | 4.6% |
| Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 2,410 | 4.1% |
| Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 1,520 | 2.6% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand workforce.
Employment Over Time
11,850 Workforce in 2023
The Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$46,148 Average Wage
In 2023, Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand earned an average of $46,148.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand.
Salary distribution for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand.
Employment Growth Projections
-6.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
6,364 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -27.8%
4,592 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -47.9%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand.
Wage Trends by Industry
12.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 2,310 employees, $44,980 avg wage
- TX: 780 employees, $39,140 avg wage
- IN: 710 employees, $40,320 avg wage
- FL: 610 employees, $41,210 avg wage
- NY: 570 employees, $52,870 avg wage
- OH: 490 employees, $42,220 avg wage
- MI: 470 employees, $41,410 avg wage
- VA: 470 employees, $42,920 avg wage
- NC: 440 employees, $40,340 avg wage
- WA: 370 employees, $49,450 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 1,090 employees, $44,570 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 600 employees, $54,290 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 310 employees, $51,120 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 260 employees, $41,420 avg wage
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 240 employees, $42,090 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 220 employees, $45,130 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 210 employees, $41,870 avg wage
- Providence-Warwick, RI-MA: 190 employees, $46,210 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA: 180 employees, $43,560 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 170 employees, $52,230 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand.
Diversity
Demographic information on Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand in 2023 was 11,850 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Business.
Common majors for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand workers.
Education level distribution for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand.
Skills
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand need many skills, but most especially Quality Control Analysis, Operations Monitoring, Equipment Maintenance, Operation and Control, Repairing.
Required skills for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand include Production and Processing, Mechanical, English Language, Mathematics, Education and Training.
Knowledge areas required for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand include Arm-Hand Steadiness, Finger Dexterity, Near Vision, Control Precision, Manual Dexterity.
Required abilities for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand.
Daily Activities
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand spend their time on activities such as Performing General Physical Activities, Handling and Moving Objects, Controlling Machines and Processes, Thinking Creatively, Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
Most important work activities for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand.
About
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand
The average yearly wage for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand was $46,148 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-9022 - Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand reports an average salary of $46,148.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 11,850 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -6.3%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.