SOC 51-4031 · Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro

Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary in Amherst, MA

The average salary for cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in Amherst, Massachusetts is $46,970 a year ($22.58 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $44,350: half of the 30 people in this job in the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 3% less than the U.S. average for this job ($48,430).

$46,970average per year

$22.58 / hourMedian $44,350Take-home ≈ $37,892

  • $38K10th
  • $40K25th
  • $44KMedian
  • $54K75th
  • $64K90th

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

30people in this job
-3%vs U.S. average
#3 of 5Massachusetts metros
100cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic pay range in Amherst

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $37,690 a year or less, while the top 10% make $63,780 or more. The middle half of cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in Amherst earn between $39,930 and $54,120.

  • $38K10th
  • $40K25th
  • $44KMedian
  • $54K75th
  • $64K90th

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

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$46,970$3,914$22.58
Median$44,350$3,696$21.32
Entry level (25th percentile)$39,930$3,328$19.20
Experienced (75th percentile)$54,120$4,510$26.02

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

Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic pay in Amherst vs. Massachusetts and the U.S.

Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in Amherst earn 5% less than the Massachusetts average ($49,360) and 3% less than the U.S. average ($48,430). At the median the gap is -4% against the U.S. median of $46,330.

AreaAverageMedian10th pct.90th pct.Jobs
Amherst$46,970$44,350$37,690$63,78030
Massachusetts$49,360$45,760$37,460$64,1602,590
United States$48,430$46,330$35,760$65,510171,200

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

Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic salary after taxes in Amherst

On the average salary of $46,970, a single filer in Amherst takes home about $37,892 a year, or $3,158 a month and $1,457 every two weeks. Taxes take 19% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave premiums are not included.

Massachusetts paycheck calculator: try your own salary

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Is Amherst a good place for cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Amherst area are in line with the U.S. average (BEA price parity 100.2), so the average $46,970 buys what about $46,856 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.8 times the median wage of all jobs in Amherst ($57,030). A typical home costs $363,400, or 7.7 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $46,970 is worth in another city

Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic salary in other Massachusetts cities

Amherst ranks 3rd of 5 Massachusetts metro areas for this job; Boston pays the most ($51,710).

All Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic salaries in Massachusetts

Highest-paying cities for cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($68,590).

Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic salary by city

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Reviewed before it counts. Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in Amherst, MA.

Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic salary in Amherst: questions

How much do cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make an hour in Amherst?

$22.58 an hour on average, and $21.32 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic salary in Amherst?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $37,690 a year and the 25th percentile is $39,930, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic take-home pay in Amherst?

About $37,892 a year ($3,158 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $46,970. Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave premiums are not included.

Do cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earn more in Amherst than elsewhere?

The average here is 3% less than the U.S. average for this job ($48,430).

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 51-4031; area Amherst Town-Northampton, MA (11200). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 2.8%.
  • 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: Census median home value (Zillow does not cover this metro). 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). Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave premiums are not included.
  • Job concentration: location quotient 0.44, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.44).

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