Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Salary
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in Colorado make a median of $53,590 a year, or about $25.76 an hour. The range runs from $39K at the entry level to $102K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 103.71), that's roughly $51,673 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,832/month, about 51.1% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Colorado. Jump to a metro for precise data:
Where the paycheck goes
What $54K actually covers in Colorado, month by month
About coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders
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What this looks like in Colorado
Colorado sits well above the national pay line for coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders, local pay runs about 11% higher than the U.S. median of $48K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,832/month, which is 51.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 103.71) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Colorado
Entry-level coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders (10th percentile) start around $39K. Mid-career wages sit at $54K. Top earners bring in $102K or more, a $63K spread from bottom to top.
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders salary by metro in Colorado
7 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Junction | $61K | +14% | 100 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial | $56K | +5% | 800 |
| Boulder | $55K | +2% | 70 |
| Pueblo | $53K | -1% | 50 |
| Colorado Springs | $52K | -3% | 170 |
| Greeley | $51K | -5% | 100 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland | $49K | -8% | 80 |
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tender afford a 2BR apartment alone in Colorado?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $54K, rent takes 51.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,832/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,100/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 Colorado?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders typically earn — is $39K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,648/month. At HUD’s $1,832/month FMR, rent would take 69% 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 Colorado?
Local pay is 11% above the national median — $54K here vs. $48K nationally.
How does Colorado compare to the national average for coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders?
Colorado pays $54K median vs. the U.S. average of $48K — that’s +11%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 103.71), the purchasing-power equivalent is $52K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders make in Colorado?
The median is $53,590 a year, that works out to about $26 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $39,150, and experienced coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders can clear $101,670. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $54K enough to live in Colorado?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,562/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,832/month, which eats 51.4% 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 Colorado?
Colorado has a Regional Price Parity of 103.71 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders salary is worth about $51,673 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.