Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Salary
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in Auburn-Opelika, AL make a median of $36,870 a year, or about $17.73 an hour. The range runs from $27K at the entry level to $60K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 87.93), which stretches that salary to about $41,931 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $995/month, about 39.6% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $37K get you in Auburn-Opelika?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Auburn-Opelika’s Regional Price Parity (87.93). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
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What this looks like in Auburn-Opelika
Pay for coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders in Auburn-Opelika runs about 24% below the U.S. median of $48K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $995/month, which is 39.8% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 87.93 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 12% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenderss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders in metros near Auburn-Opelika, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | $46K | $50K |
| Huntsville | $44K | $48K |
| Mobile | $48K | $54K |
| Montgomery | $46K | $51K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Auburn-Opelika, AL
Entry-level coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders (10th percentile) start around $27K. Mid-career wages sit at $37K. Top earners bring in $60K or more, a $33K spread from bottom to top.
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $70K | +45% | 140 |
| Washington | $60K | +24% | 3,980 |
| New Jersey | $58K | +21% | 2,890 |
| Maine | $56K | +16% | 680 |
| Maryland | $56K | +15% | 1,010 |
| Colorado | $54K | +11% | 1,470 |
| Mississippi | $53K | +10% | 2,010 |
| California | $53K | +10% | 11,570 |
| Connecticut | $53K | +10% | 1,550 |
| Minnesota | $52K | +8% | 3,430 |
| Hawaii | $52K | +8% | 230 |
| Massachusetts | $51K | +6% | 2,740 |
| North Dakota | $51K | +6% | 560 |
| Wyoming | $50K | +4% | 220 |
| Virginia | $50K | +3% | 4,130 |
| Rhode Island | $50K | +3% | 470 |
| Oregon | $49K | +2% | 2,470 |
| Vermont | $49K | +2% | 170 |
| Nebraska | $49K | +2% | 740 |
| Iowa | $49K | +2% | 3,220 |
| Wisconsin | $49K | +2% | 6,120 |
| Ohio | $49K | +1% | 8,320 |
| New Hampshire | $48K | +0% | 430 |
| Pennsylvania | $48K | +0% | 6,790 |
| South Carolina | $48K | -0% | 2,780 |
| Illinois | $48K | -1% | 6,390 |
| New York | $48K | -1% | 3,270 |
| South Dakota | $48K | -1% | 1,150 |
| Louisiana | $48K | -1% | 810 |
| Utah | $48K | -1% | 1,740 |
| Florida | $48K | -1% | 6,200 |
| Arizona | $48K | -1% | 2,440 |
| Missouri | $48K | -1% | 3,860 |
| Montana | $47K | -2% | 330 |
| Indiana | $47K | -2% | 8,030 |
| Tennessee | $47K | -2% | 3,880 |
| Kentucky | $47K | -2% | 2,190 |
| Kansas | $47K | -2% | 3,160 |
| Texas | $47K | -3% | 16,600 |
| North Carolina | $47K | -3% | 5,700 |
| Georgia | $46K | -4% | 5,900 |
| Arkansas | $46K | -4% | 1,870 |
| Delaware | $46K | -4% | 100 |
| Idaho | $46K | -5% | 760 |
| Oklahoma | $46K | -5% | 2,520 |
| Nevada | $46K | -5% | 640 |
| New Mexico | $46K | -5% | 400 |
| Michigan | $45K | -7% | 7,050 |
| Alabama | $44K | -8% | 5,250 |
| West Virginia | $43K | -11% | 370 |
Showing 1–10 of 50 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Auburn-Opelika numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tender afford a 2BR apartment alone in Auburn-Opelika?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $37K, rent takes 39.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $995/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $700/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders in Auburn-Opelika?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders typically earn — is $27K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,631/month. At HUD’s $995/month FMR, rent would take 61% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tender a high-paying job in Auburn-Opelika?
Local pay runs 24% below the national median — $37K here vs. $48K nationally. Cost of living is 12% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Auburn-Opelika compare to the national average for coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders?
Auburn-Opelika pays $37K median vs. the U.S. average of $48K — that’s -24%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 87.93), the purchasing-power equivalent is $42K — below the national median.
How much do coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders make in Auburn-Opelika, AL?
The median is $36,870 a year, that works out to about $18 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $27,190, and experienced coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders can clear $59,960. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $37K enough to live in Auburn-Opelika?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,499/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $995/month, which eats 39.8% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders salary go in Auburn-Opelika?
Auburn-Opelika has a Regional Price Parity of 87.93 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders salary is worth about $41,931 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.