SOC 51-4193 · Appleton, WI metro

Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in Appleton, WI

The average salary for plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in Appleton, Wisconsin is $43,990 a year ($21.15 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $42,340: half of the 50 people in this job in the Appleton, WI metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is about the same as the U.S. average for this job ($45,100).

$43,990average per year

$21.15 / hourMedian $42,340Take-home ≈ $36,245

  • $29K10th
  • $36K25th
  • $42KMedian
  • $46K75th
  • $60K90th

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

50people in this job
-2%vs U.S. average
#4 of 5Wisconsin metros
92cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic pay range in Appleton

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $28,920 a year or less, while the top 10% make $59,740 or more. The middle half of plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in Appleton earn between $35,880 and $46,090.

  • $29K10th
  • $36K25th
  • $42KMedian
  • $46K75th
  • $60K90th

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

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$43,990$3,666$21.15
Median$42,340$3,528$20.36
Entry level (25th percentile)$35,880$2,990$17.25
Experienced (75th percentile)$46,090$3,841$22.16

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

Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic pay in Appleton vs. Wisconsin and the U.S.

Plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in Appleton earn 5% less than the Wisconsin average ($46,280) and about the same as the U.S. average ($45,100). At the median the gap is -4% against the U.S. median of $43,960.

AreaAverageMedian10th pct.90th pct.Jobs
Appleton$43,990$42,340$28,920$59,74050
Wisconsin$46,280$44,350$29,430$63,220940
United States$45,100$43,960$33,790$60,37032,410

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

Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic salary after taxes in Appleton

On the average salary of $43,990, a single filer in Appleton takes home about $36,245 a year, or $3,020 a month and $1,394 every two weeks. Taxes take 18% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules).

Wisconsin paycheck calculator: try your own salary

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

Prices in the Appleton area are 8% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 92.4), so the average $43,990 buys what about $47,598 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.8 times the median wage of all jobs in Appleton ($49,910). A typical home costs $350,370, or 8.0 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $43,990 is worth in another city

Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic salary in other Wisconsin cities

Appleton ranks 4th of 5 Wisconsin metro areas for this job; Oshkosh pays the most ($58,220).

All Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic salaries in Wisconsin

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

Ogden, UT pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($64,690).

Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic salary by city

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Reviewed before it counts. Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in Appleton, WI.

Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic salary in Appleton: questions

How much do plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make an hour in Appleton?

$21.15 an hour on average, and $20.36 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic salary in Appleton?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $28,920 a year and the 25th percentile is $35,880, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic take-home pay in Appleton?

About $36,245 a year ($3,020 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $43,990.

Do plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earn more in Appleton than elsewhere?

The average here is about the same as the U.S. average for this job ($45,100).

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 51-4193; area Appleton, WI (11540). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 5.9%.
  • 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 state income tax (2026 rules).
  • Job concentration: location quotient 1.97, this job is 2.0 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.

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