Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2003

51-4033 Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend grinding and related tools that remove excess material or burrs from surfaces, sharpen edges or corners, or buff, hone, or polish metal or plastic work pieces.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
97,660 2.3 % $13.83 $28,770 1.1 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.27 $10.10 $12.80 $16.56 $21.26
Annual Wage (2) $17,190 $21,010 $26,630 $34,450 $44,220

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Foundries 10,600 $12.73 $26,480 1 40
Metalworking machinery manufacturing 8,290 $17.25 $35,880 2 4
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing 7,610 $14.06 $29,240 3 20
Machine shops and threaded product mfg. 7,160 $13.83 $28,760 4 26
Coating, engraving, and heat treating metals 7,080 $12.03 $25,010 5 48

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Motor vehicle manufacturing 670 $20.71 $43,070 31 1
Motor vehicle parts manufacturing 6,900 $17.49 $36,380 6 2
Basic chemical manufacturing (6) $17.48 $36,350 (6) 3
Metalworking machinery manufacturing 8,290 $17.25 $35,880 2 4
Printing and related support activities (6) $17.00 $35,360 (6) 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Michigan 10,120 $18.60 $38,690 0.233% 327
Indiana 5,300 $14.82 $30,820 0.186% 421
Wisconsin 4,440 $14.19 $29,520 0.165% 467
Rhode Island 750 $12.59 $26,190 0.158% 415
New Hampshire 800 $13.07 $27,190 0.132% 436

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Delaware 110 $20.71 $43,080 0.027% 181
Michigan 10,120 $18.60 $38,690 0.233% 327
Massachusetts 2,200 $15.16 $31,540 0.069% 488
New York 4,000 $15.00 $31,200 0.048% 498
Oregon 950 $14.92 $31,020 0.062% 391

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Rockford, IL MSA 720 $16.01 $33,310 0.429%
Fort Wayne, IN MSA 1,030 $12.73 $26,480 0.398%
Benton Harbor, MI MSA 240 $12.21 $25,400 0.380%
Muncie, IN MSA 200 $20.74 $43,140 0.374%
Mansfield, OH MSA 270 $12.60 $26,210 0.353%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Wilmington-Newark, DE-MD PMSA (6) $24.03 $49,980 (6)
Detroit, MI PMSA 4,840 $21.59 $44,900 0.240%
Muncie, IN MSA 200 $20.74 $43,140 0.374%
Peoria-Pekin, IL MSA 250 $19.82 $41,220 0.154%
Saginaw-Bay City-Midland, MI MSA 280 $19.49 $40,530 0.161%

About May 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Production Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004