Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Median $48,540
Occupation · SOC 51-9022
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand: pay and where the jobs are
What grinding and polishing workers, hand earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$42,660 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $45,020
- Median hourly wage
- $20.51
- Mean hourly wage
- $21.64
- Employment
- 10,510
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-9022.
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See where your pay falls among grinding and polishing workers, hand nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do grinding and polishing workers, hand make?
The median annual wage for grinding and polishing workers, hand was $42,660 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $33,480 and the highest-paid 10% more than $60,810. As an hourly rate, the median is $20.51. About 10,510 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Vermont ($56,850), Minnesota ($51,930) and Rhode Island ($51,630). Vermont also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for grinding and polishing workers, hand looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $33,480 | $16.09 | $2,790 | $2,423 |
| 25th percentile | $37,450 | $18.00 | $3,121 | $2,689 |
| Median | $42,660 | $20.51 | $3,555 | $3,038 |
| 75th percentile | $49,980 | $24.03 | $4,165 | $3,528 |
| 90th percentile | $60,810 | $29.23 | $5,068 | $4,253 |
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand: pay by state
40 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$47,355 take-home in national prices
2
$44,466 take-home in national prices
3
$43,496 take-home in national prices
Where a median grinding and polishing workers, hand paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont | 50 | $56,850 | $50,000 | $73,900 | $46,388 | $47,355 |
| Minnesota | 120 | $51,930 | $39,450 | $63,340 | $41,669 | $42,252 |
| Rhode Island | 130 | $51,630 | $34,790 | $65,020 | $41,778 | $40,846 |
| Montana | Not published | $50,460 | $44,060 | $50,700 | $41,110 | $43,436 |
| Virginia | 330 | $48,830 | $32,860 | $71,960 | $39,421 | $38,991 |
| Connecticut | 230 | $48,670 | $40,270 | $63,450 | $39,297 | $37,928 |
| Kansas | 100 | $48,410 | $32,650 | $68,640 | $39,176 | $43,496 |
| Maryland | Not published | $48,390 | $37,630 | $56,190 | $39,129 | $37,280 |
| New Hampshire | 40 | $47,920 | $42,950 | $62,230 | $40,684 | $39,057 |
| New Jersey | 300 | $47,840 | $35,380 | $61,900 | $39,133 | $35,966 |
| Wisconsin | 290 | $47,790 | $35,740 | $57,400 | $39,111 | $41,566 |
| Delaware | 40 | $47,780 | $31,200 | $56,830 | $38,405 | $38,479 |
| Missouri | 180 | $47,360 | $44,760 | $63,360 | $38,945 | $42,883 |
| Washington | 90 | $47,290 | $36,470 | $66,330 | $39,522 | $36,932 |
| Iowa | Not published | $47,280 | $39,300 | $50,600 | $39,025 | $44,466 |
| New York | 440 | $47,240 | $38,220 | $82,160 | $37,948 | $35,163 |
| South Carolina | 260 | $45,710 | $33,100 | $60,270 | $38,193 | $40,739 |
| Nevada | 90 | $45,310 | $38,100 | $65,200 | $38,587 | $38,595 |
| California | 1,850 | $44,450 | $36,050 | $64,710 | $36,557 | $33,018 |
| Michigan | 650 | $44,430 | $34,820 | $60,490 | $36,242 | $37,667 |
| Massachusetts | 170 | $42,700 | $37,580 | $63,140 | $34,378 | $32,507 |
| Oregon | 160 | $42,380 | $38,030 | $64,540 | $33,318 | $32,235 |
| Georgia | 220 | $40,660 | $31,060 | $63,560 | $33,570 | $34,862 |
| Colorado | 70 | $40,600 | $36,540 | $57,250 | $33,545 | $32,552 |
| Pennsylvania | 140 | $40,510 | $31,680 | $54,000 | $33,458 | $34,290 |
| Ohio | 490 | $40,310 | $31,720 | $58,260 | $33,904 | $36,545 |
| Mississippi | 30 | $40,280 | $31,150 | $44,560 | $33,666 | $38,717 |
| West Virginia | Not published | $39,870 | $39,140 | $53,290 | $33,176 | $37,070 |
| Florida | 510 | $39,480 | $31,730 | $49,380 | $33,902 | $32,783 |
| Arkansas | 140 | $38,960 | $34,640 | $53,920 | $32,530 | $37,418 |
| Indiana | 620 | $38,810 | $34,590 | $51,540 | $32,248 | $34,554 |
| Oklahoma | 160 | $38,340 | $32,380 | $48,080 | $31,806 | $36,208 |
| Arizona | 560 | $38,280 | $38,270 | $60,190 | $32,375 | $32,157 |
| Texas | 840 | $38,170 | $28,430 | $49,370 | $32,850 | $33,846 |
| North Carolina | 330 | $37,600 | $31,200 | $58,260 | $31,400 | $33,289 |
| Illinois | 60 | $36,590 | $33,280 | $38,160 | $29,914 | $29,926 |
| Alabama | 150 | $35,620 | $26,420 | $50,280 | $29,364 | $33,059 |
| Tennessee | 80 | $33,830 | $27,040 | $41,740 | $29,362 | $31,961 |
| Louisiana | 90 | $33,160 | $27,650 | $40,160 | $28,216 | $31,988 |
| New Mexico | 120 | $28,640 | $26,460 | $40,940 | $24,884 | $26,986 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-9022. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.