SOC 51-7042 · Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro

Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing Salary in Louisville, KY

The average salary for woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders (except sawing) in Louisville, Kentucky is $44,740 a year ($21.51 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $46,480: half of the 400 people in this job in the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is about the same as the U.S. average for this job ($43,570).

$44,740average per year

$21.51 / hourMedian $46,480Take-home ≈ $35,696

  • $36K10th
  • $38K25th
  • $46KMedian
  • $48K75th
  • $56K90th

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

400people in this job
+3%vs U.S. average
#1 of 2Kentucky metros
93cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing pay range in Louisville

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $35,830 a year or less, while the top 10% make $55,670 or more. The middle half of woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders (except sawing) in Louisville earn between $37,640 and $47,990.

  • $36K10th
  • $38K25th
  • $46KMedian
  • $48K75th
  • $56K90th

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

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$44,740$3,728$21.51
Median$46,480$3,873$22.35
Entry level (25th percentile)$37,640$3,137$18.10
Experienced (75th percentile)$47,990$3,999$23.07

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

Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing pay in Louisville vs. Kentucky and the U.S.

Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders (except sawing) in Louisville earn 13% more than the Kentucky average ($39,540) and about the same as the U.S. average ($43,570). At the median the gap is +7% against the U.S. median of $43,380.

AreaAverageMedian10th pct.90th pct.Jobs
Louisville$44,740$46,480$35,830$55,670400
Kentucky$39,540$38,080$32,650$48,2901,320
United States$43,570$43,380$32,110$56,83061,420

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

Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing salary after taxes in Louisville

On the average salary of $44,740, a single filer in Louisville takes home about $35,696 a year, or $2,975 a month and $1,373 every two weeks. Taxes take 20% of gross pay.

The Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area crosses state lines, so take-home pay depends on the state where you work:

StatePer yearPer month
Working in IN$36,816$3,068
Working in KY$35,696$2,975

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Includes Louisville's local income tax (2.2%).

Kentucky paycheck calculator: try your own salary

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Is Louisville a good place for woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders (except sawing)? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Louisville area are 7% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 93.1), so the average $44,740 buys what about $48,069 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.0 times the median wage of all jobs in Louisville ($48,370). A typical home costs $283,232, or 6.3 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $44,740 is worth in another city

Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing salary in other Kentucky cities

Louisville ranks 1st of 2 Kentucky metro areas for this job, the best-paid in the state.

All Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing salaries in Kentucky

Highest-paying cities for woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders (except sawing)

Longview, WA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($57,100).

Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing salary by city

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Reviewed before it counts. Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing in Louisville, KY.

Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing salary in Louisville: questions

How much do woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders (except sawing) make an hour in Louisville?

$21.51 an hour on average, and $22.35 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders (except sawing) salary in Louisville?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $35,830 a year and the 25th percentile is $37,640, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders (except sawing) take-home pay in Louisville?

About $35,696 a year ($2,975 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $44,740. Includes Louisville's local income tax (2.2%).

Do woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders (except sawing) earn more in Louisville than elsewhere?

The average here is about the same as the U.S. average for this job ($43,570).

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 51-7042; area Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN (31140). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.2%.
  • 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). Includes Louisville's local income tax (2.2%).
  • Job concentration: location quotient 1.46, this job is 1.5 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.

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