Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Salary
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in Missoula, MT make a median of $45,900 a year, or about $22.07 an hour. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $60K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 96.44), that's roughly $47,594 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,361/month, about 43.5% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $46K get you in Missoula?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Missoula’s Regional Price Parity (96.44). 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 Missoula
Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders pay in Missoula tracks closely to the national median, $46K locally vs. $48K nationwide, a 5% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,361/month, which is 43.8% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 96.44) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders in metros near Missoula, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Billings | $47K | $51K |
| Bozeman | $51K | $50K |
| Sioux Falls | $47K | $51K |
| Boise City | $47K | $47K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Missoula, MT
Entry-level coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $46K. Top earners bring in $60K or more, a $23K 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 Missoula 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 Missoula?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $46K, rent takes 43.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,361/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/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 Missoula?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,227/month. At HUD’s $1,361/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 Missoula?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $46K locally vs. $48K nationally, a 5% difference.
How does Missoula compare to the national average for coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders?
Missoula pays $46K median vs. the U.S. average of $48K — that’s -5%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 96.44), the purchasing-power equivalent is $48K — below the national median.
How much do coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders make in Missoula, MT?
The median is $45,900 a year, that works out to about $22 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $37,110, and experienced coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders can clear $60,080. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $46K enough to live in Missoula?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,110/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,361/month, which eats 43.8% 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 Missoula?
Missoula has a Regional Price Parity of 96.44 (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 $47,594 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.