SOC 51-4081 · Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro

Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in Memphis, TN

The average salary for multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in Memphis, Tennessee is $42,780 a year ($20.57 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $45,600: half of the 370 people in this job in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 14% less than the U.S. average for this job ($50,030).

$42,780average per year

$20.57 / hourMedian $45,600Take-home ≈ $36,554

  • $33K10th
  • $38K25th
  • $46KMedian
  • $48K75th
  • $48K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

370people in this job
-14%vs U.S. average
#4 of 5Tennessee metros
92cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic pay range in Memphis

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $33,280 a year or less, while the top 10% make $47,770 or more. The middle half of multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in Memphis earn between $37,860 and $47,770.

  • $33K10th
  • $38K25th
  • $46KMedian
  • $48K75th
  • $48K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$42,780$3,565$20.57
Median$45,600$3,800$21.92
Entry level (25th percentile)$37,860$3,155$18.20
Experienced (75th percentile)$47,770$3,981$22.97

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year. Hourly to annual salary.

Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic pay in Memphis vs. Tennessee and the U.S.

Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in Memphis earn 5% less than the Tennessee average ($45,050) and 14% less than the U.S. average ($50,030). At the median the gap is -3% against the U.S. median of $47,180.

AreaAverageMedian10th pct.90th pct.Jobs
Memphis$42,780$45,600$33,280$47,770370
Tennessee$45,050$43,630$34,020$58,390930
United States$50,030$47,180$35,780$74,450124,590

State and U.S. rows: BLS statewide and national estimates, May 2025, which include rural areas.

Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic salary after taxes in Memphis

On the average salary of $42,780, a single filer in Memphis takes home about $36,554 a year, or $3,046 a month and $1,406 every two weeks. Taxes take 15% of gross pay.

The Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area crosses state lines, so take-home pay depends on the state where you work:

StatePer yearPer month
Working in TN$36,554$3,046
Working in MS$35,575$2,965
Working in AR$35,459$2,955

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and no state income tax.

Tennessee paycheck calculator: try your own salary

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Is Memphis a good place for multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Memphis area are 8% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 92.2), so the average $42,780 buys what about $46,410 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.0 times the median wage of all jobs in Memphis ($46,890). A typical home costs $247,229, or 5.8 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $42,780 is worth in another city

Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic salary in other Tennessee cities

Memphis ranks 4th of 5 Tennessee metro areas for this job; Nashville pays the most ($46,330).

All Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic salaries in Tennessee

Highest-paying cities for multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

Dallas, TX pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($67,500).

Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic salary by city

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Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic salary in Memphis: questions

How much do multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make an hour in Memphis?

$20.57 an hour on average, and $21.92 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic salary in Memphis?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $33,280 a year and the 25th percentile is $37,860, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic take-home pay in Memphis?

About $36,554 a year ($3,046 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $42,780. Tennessee has no state income tax.

Do multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earn more in Memphis than elsewhere?

The average here is 14% less than the U.S. average for this job ($50,030).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 51-4081; area Memphis, TN-MS-AR (32820). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.6%.
  • U.S. and statewide figures: BLS OEWS national and state estimates, May 2025, every employer including rural areas.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and no state income tax.
  • Job concentration: location quotient 0.76, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.76).

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