Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Salary
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA make a median of $45,440 a year, or about $21.85 an hour. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $104K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 86.45), which stretches that salary to about $52,562 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,044/month, about 31.9% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $45K get you in Kingsport-Bristol?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Kingsport-Bristol’s Regional Price Parity (86.45). 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 Kingsport-Bristol
Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders pay in Kingsport-Bristol tracks closely to the national median, $45K locally vs. $48K nationwide, a 6% difference. Rent runs $1,044/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 32.5% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Regional Price Parity sits at 86.45 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 14% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders in metros near Kingsport-Bristol, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin | $50K | $52K |
| Chattanooga | $50K | $55K |
| Knoxville | $45K | $49K |
| Memphis | $48K | $53K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA
Entry-level coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $45K. Top earners bring in $104K or more, a $73K 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 Kingsport-Bristol 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 Kingsport-Bristol?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $45K, rent takes 32.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,044/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/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 Kingsport-Bristol?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders typically earn — is $31K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,883/month. At HUD’s $1,044/month FMR, rent would take 55% 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 Kingsport-Bristol?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $45K locally vs. $48K nationally, a 6% difference.
How does Kingsport-Bristol compare to the national average for coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders?
Kingsport-Bristol pays $45K median vs. the U.S. average of $48K — that’s -6%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 86.45), the purchasing-power equivalent is $53K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders make in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA?
The median is $45,440 a year, that works out to about $22 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,390, and experienced coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders can clear $104,120. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $45K enough to live in Kingsport-Bristol?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,213/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,044/month, which eats 32.5% 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 Kingsport-Bristol?
Kingsport-Bristol has a Regional Price Parity of 86.45 (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 $52,562 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.