Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Salary
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in Montana make a median of $47,380 a year, or about $22.78 an hour. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $61K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97), that's roughly $48,845 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,129/month, about 34.9% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Montana. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $47K get you in Montana?
About coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders
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What this looks like in Montana
Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders pay in Montana tracks closely to the national median, $47K locally vs. $48K nationwide, a 2% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,129/month, which is 35.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 97) 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.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Montana
Entry-level coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $47K. Top earners bring in $61K or more, a $24K spread from bottom to top.
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders salary by metro in Montana
3 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bozeman | $51K | +8% | 70 |
| Billings | $47K | -0% | 80 |
| Missoula | $46K | -3% | 50 |
Compare to other states
Track coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Montana 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 Montana?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $47K, rent takes 35.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,129/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 Montana?
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 $1,129/month FMR, rent would take 51% 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 Montana?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $47K locally vs. $48K nationally, a 2% difference.
How does Montana compare to the national average for coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders?
Montana pays $47K median vs. the U.S. average of $48K — that’s -2%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97), the purchasing-power equivalent is $49K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders make in Montana?
The median is $47,380 a year, that works out to about $23 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 $60,890. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $47K enough to live in Montana?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,202/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,129/month, which eats 35.3% 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 Montana?
Montana has a Regional Price Parity of 97 (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 $48,845 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.