Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders in the U.S. is $43,530 ($20.93 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $43,530
- Mean annual wage
- $44,600
- Median hourly wage
- $20.93
- Employment
- 14,760
14,760 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $33,790 | $16.25 |
| 25th percentile | $37,310 | $17.94 |
| Median (50th) | $43,530 | $20.93 |
| 75th percentile | $49,320 | $23.71 |
| 90th percentile | $58,570 | $28.16 |
Highest-paying states for cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Maine | $64,610 | 40 |
| Wisconsin | $54,290 | 310 |
| Oregon | $49,130 | 70 |
| North Dakota | $48,240 | 60 |
| Pennsylvania | $48,000 | 370 |
| New Hampshire | $47,510 | 120 |
| Iowa | $46,970 | 430 |
| New York | $46,290 | 710 |
| Nebraska | $45,690 | 400 |
| Washington | $45,600 | 180 |
Lowest-paying states
- Idaho: $33,660 median annual wage
- Mississippi: $34,280 median annual wage
- Alabama: $35,090 median annual wage
- New Mexico: $35,600 median annual wage
- Kentucky: $35,850 median annual wage
About this occupation
Operate or tend machines to wash or clean products, such as barrels or kegs, glass items, tin plate, food, pulp, coal, plastic, or rubber, to remove impurities.
Typical tasks
- Measure, weigh, or mix cleaning solutions, using measuring tanks, calibrated rods or suction tubes.
- Adjust, clean, and lubricate mechanical parts of machines, using hand tools and grease guns.
- Observe machine operations, gauges, or thermometers, and adjust controls to maintain specified conditions.
- Set controls to regulate temperature and length of cycles, and start conveyors, pumps, agitators, and machines.
- Operate or tend machines to wash and remove impurities from items such as barrels or kegs, glass products, tin plate surfaces, dried fruit, pulp, animal stock, coal, manufactured articles, plastic, or rubber.
- Draw samples for laboratory analysis, or test solutions for conformance to specifications, such as acidity or specific gravity.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 17.5% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 45.8% |
| Some college, no degree | 19.9% |
| Associate's degree | 7.5% |
| Bachelor's degree | 7.5% |
| Master's degree | 1.3% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 0.4% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Related occupations
- Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$44,650
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$74,450
- Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$48,570
- Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$53,750
- Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$43,220
- Machinists$58,750
- Production Workers, All Other$40,110
- Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$45,850
About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.