Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders Salary: $46,056 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 13,890 cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders nationally earn a mean of $46,056. Employment in the series shown fell about 19% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 0.9% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders: what the data shows
Common questions about cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders?
Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-9192.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 13,890 workers.
What does a cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Documenting/Recording Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Getting Information, Handling and Moving Objects, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders make?
BLS national median annual wage: $41,460 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $46,056 — 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 | $37,284 |
| 25th percentile | $39,715 |
| Median (50th) | $44,907 |
| 75th percentile | $49,678 |
| 90th percentile | $58,316 |
What education do you need?
For Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders, 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 Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Time Management, Speaking, and knowledge areas including Production and Processing, English Language, Public Safety and Security, Psychology. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.9% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -4.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -8.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 13,890.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenderss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 13,890 | 20.2% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 13,880 | 20.1% |
| Manufacturing | 10,970 | 15.9% |
| Food Manufacturing | 5,800 | 8.4% |
| Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 1,690 | 2.5% |
| Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing | 1,360 | 2.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders workforce.
Employment Over Time
13,890 Workforce in 2023
The Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$46,056 Average Wage
In 2023, Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders earned an average of $46,056.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Salary distribution for Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Employment Growth Projections
-0.9% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
9,243 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -4.5%
8,826 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -8.8%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Wage Trends by Industry
5.1% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders.
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: 2,530 employees, $44,890 avg wage
- OH: 1,150 employees, $43,490 avg wage
- TX: 1,050 employees, $41,520 avg wage
- MI: 920 employees, $43,040 avg wage
- GA: 690 employees, $40,700 avg wage
- OK: 610 employees, $40,790 avg wage
- IN: 500 employees, $44,430 avg wage
- PA: 480 employees, $46,250 avg wage
- NJ: 470 employees, $43,300 avg wage
- NY: 430 employees, $49,410 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 690 employees, $44,110 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 420 employees, $44,000 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 290 employees, $48,730 avg wage
- Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI: 270 employees, $43,640 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 260 employees, $41,390 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 260 employees, $41,250 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 250 employees, $42,950 avg wage
- Cleveland, OH: 240 employees, $43,630 avg wage
- Gainesville, GA: 220 employees, $42,540 avg wage
- Modesto, CA: 210 employees, $48,900 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Diversity
Demographic information on Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders in 2023 was 13,890 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders.
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 Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders workers.
Education level distribution for Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Skills
Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Time Management.
Required skills for Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders include Production and Processing, English Language, Public Safety and Security, Psychology, Education and Training.
Knowledge areas required for Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders include Near Vision, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Control Precision, Information Ordering, Perceptual Speed.
Required abilities for Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders.
Daily Activities
Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders spend their time on activities such as Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Documenting/Recording Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Getting Information.
Most important work activities for Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders.
About
Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders
The average yearly wage for Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders was $46,056 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-9192 - Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders reports an average salary of $46,056.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 13,890 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -0.9%, 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.