Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood in the U.S. is $42,770 ($20.56 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $42,770
- Mean annual wage
- $43,580
- Median hourly wage
- $20.56
- Employment
- 40,850
40,850 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $30,890 | $14.85 |
| 25th percentile | $36,510 | $17.55 |
| Median (50th) | $42,770 | $20.56 |
| 75th percentile | $48,620 | $23.37 |
| 90th percentile | $58,170 | $27.97 |
Highest-paying states for sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $52,680 | 100 |
| Washington | $51,940 | 1,720 |
| Minnesota | $51,330 | 500 |
| Connecticut | $51,150 | 110 |
| Oregon | $49,740 | 2,010 |
| Montana | $49,090 | 280 |
| Idaho | $48,350 | 700 |
| Iowa | $48,090 | 240 |
| California | $47,390 | 3,230 |
| Massachusetts | $47,210 | 60 |
Lowest-paying states
- New Mexico: $34,720 median annual wage
- West Virginia: $35,590 median annual wage
- Virginia: $35,790 median annual wage
- Oklahoma: $36,140 median annual wage
- Texas: $36,740 median annual wage
About this occupation
Set up, operate, or tend wood sawing machines. May operate computer numerically controlled (CNC) equipment. Includes lead sawyers.
Typical tasks
- Set up, operate, or tend saws or machines that cut or trim wood to specified dimensions, such as circular saws, band saws, multiple-blade sawing machines, scroll saws, ripsaws, or crozer machines.
- Count, sort, or stack finished workpieces.
- Select saw blades, types or grades of stock, or cutting procedures to be used, according to work orders or supervisors' instructions.
- Cut grooves, bevels, or miters, saw curved or irregular designs, and sever or shape metals, according to specifications or work orders.
- Adjust saw blades, using wrenches and rulers, or by turning handwheels or pressing pedals, levers, or panel buttons.
- Inspect and measure workpieces to mark for cuts and to verify the accuracy of cuts, using rulers, squares, or caliper rules.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 29.7% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 48.2% |
| Some college, no degree | 16.3% |
| Associate's degree | 1.9% |
| Bachelor's degree | 2.2% |
| Master's degree | 1.1% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 0.5% |
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.