Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Salary: $60,758 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 159,500 coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders nationally earn a mean of $60,758. Projections imply about 2.9% annual decline; much hiring sits in manufacturing.
Key Statistics
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders: what the data shows
Common questions about coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders?
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-9124.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 159,500 workers.
What does a coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders make?
BLS national median annual wage: $47,590 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $60,758 — 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 | $39,654 |
| 25th percentile | $46,354 |
| Median (50th) | $53,053 |
| 75th percentile | $66,442 |
| 90th percentile | $86,490 |
What education do you need?
For Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, 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 Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Quality Control Analysis, Monitoring, Equipment Maintenance, Repairing, and knowledge areas including Mechanical, English Language, Production and Processing, Education and Training. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.9% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -13.8%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -25.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 159,500.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenderss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 159,500 | 19.3% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 159,210 | 19.2% |
| Manufacturing | 107,710 | 13.0% |
| Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 33,790 | 4.1% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 29,170 | 3.5% |
| Repair and Maintenance | 29,160 | 3.5% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders workforce.
Employment Over Time
159,500 Workforce in 2023
The Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$60,758 Average Wage
In 2023, Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders earned an average of $60,758.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.
Salary distribution for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.
Employment Growth Projections
-2.9% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
38,322 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -13.8%
33,032 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -25.7%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.
Wage Trends by Industry
-1.4% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, 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:
- TX: 16,220 employees, $51,910 avg wage
- CA: 11,190 employees, $59,220 avg wage
- OH: 8,100 employees, $49,140 avg wage
- WI: 8,040 employees, $49,330 avg wage
- IN: 6,850 employees, $47,870 avg wage
- IL: 6,840 employees, $49,650 avg wage
- MI: 6,390 employees, $47,600 avg wage
- PA: 6,340 employees, $49,770 avg wage
- FL: 6,150 employees, $50,990 avg wage
- NC: 5,810 employees, $48,960 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 5,240 employees, $57,030 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 4,090 employees, $56,860 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 3,900 employees, $52,310 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 3,800 employees, $49,520 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 3,170 employees, $61,400 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 2,950 employees, $69,220 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 2,340 employees, $52,050 avg wage
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 2,190 employees, $47,830 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 2,020 employees, $58,360 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 1,990 employees, $55,540 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.
Diversity
Demographic information on Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in 2023 was 159,500 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, 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 Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Business.
Common majors for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders workers.
Education level distribution for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.
Skills
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders need many skills, but most especially Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Quality Control Analysis, Monitoring, Equipment Maintenance.
Required skills for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders include Mechanical, English Language, Production and Processing, Education and Training, Chemistry.
Knowledge areas required for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders include Near Vision, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Control Precision, Visual Color Discrimination, Manual Dexterity.
Required abilities for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.
Daily Activities
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
Most important work activities for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.
About
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
The average yearly wage for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders was $60,758 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-9124 - Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders reports an average salary of $60,758.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 159,500 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -2.9%, 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.