Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
SOC 51-9196BLS OEWS May 2025
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.
National median · BLS
$50,270
▲ +1.78%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$52,840
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
96,130
Jobs (BLS)
Highest-paying state (cost-adjusted)Loading…
Most jobsLoading…
Highest-paying metro (cost-adjusted)Loading…
Check your salary
Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.
Pay range for Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$37,300
25th
$44,920
Median (50th)
$50,270
75th
$60,180
90th — top pay
$70,320
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
Type in either box; the other updates instantly.
⇄
Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
BLS projects employment of paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders to decline 3.6% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%.
About 9,000 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
96,100 → 92,600
-3,500 jobs
Projected change
-3.6%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
9,000
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders do
Examine completed work to detect defects and verify conformance to work orders, and adjust machinery as necessary to correct production problems.
Observe operation of various machines to detect and correct machine malfunctions such as improper forming, glue flow, or pasteboard tension.
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.
Disassemble machines to maintain, repair, or replace broken or worn parts, using hand or power tools.
Install attachments to machines for gluing, folding, printing, or cutting.
Cut products to specified dimensions, using hand or power cutters.
Place rolls of paper or cardboard on machine feed tracks, and thread paper through gluing, coating, and slitting rollers.
Monitor finished cartons as they drop from forming machines into rotating hoppers and into gravity feed chutes to prevent jamming.
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $50,270.
