SOC 51-7042 · Appleton, WI metro

Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing Salary in Appleton, WI

The average salary for woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders (except sawing) in Appleton, Wisconsin is $43,100 a year ($20.72 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $43,610: half of the 110 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. metro average for this job ($44,268).

$43,100average per year

$20.72 / hourMedian $43,610Take-home ≈ $35,574

  • $33K10th
  • $38K25th
  • $44KMedian
  • $46K75th
  • $52K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

110people in this job
-3%vs U.S. metro average
#5 of 9Wisconsin metros
92cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing pay range in Appleton

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $33,470 a year or less, while the top 10% make $51,850 or more. The middle half of woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders (except sawing) in Appleton earn between $37,680 and $46,460.

  • $33K10th
  • $38K25th
  • $44KMedian
  • $46K75th
  • $52K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$43,100$3,592$20.72
Median$43,610$3,634$20.97
Entry level (25th percentile)$37,680$3,140$18.12
Experienced (75th percentile)$46,460$3,872$22.34

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

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

On the average salary of $43,100, a single filer in Appleton takes home about $35,574 a year, or $2,965 a month and $1,368 every two weeks. Taxes take 17% of gross pay.

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

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Is Appleton a good place for woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders (except sawing)? 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 $43,100 buys what about $46,635 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.9 times the median wage of all jobs in Appleton ($49,910). A typical home costs $350,370, or 8.1 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $43,100 is worth in another city

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

Appleton ranks 5th of 9 Wisconsin metro areas for this job; Eau Claire pays the most ($48,760).

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

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

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

$20.72 an hour on average, and $20.97 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

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

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $33,470 a year and the 25th percentile is $37,680, a fair guide to starting pay.

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

About $35,574 a year ($2,965 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $43,100.

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

The average here is about the same as the U.S. metro average for this job ($44,268).

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 Appleton, WI (11540). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 3.1%.
  • 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 2.29, this job is 2.3 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.

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