Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Salary
Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in Great Falls, MT make a median of $45,440 a year, or about $21.84 an hour. The range runs from $35K at the entry level to $58K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 96.84), that's roughly $46,923 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,284/month, about 41.4% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $45K actually covers in Great Falls, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Great Falls’s Regional Price Parity (96.84). 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.
About crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders
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What this looks like in Great Falls
Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders pay in Great Falls tracks closely to the national median, $45K locally vs. $49K nationwide, a 6% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,284/month, which is 41.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 96.84) 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 crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders in metros near Great Falls, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Boise City | $58K | $59K |
| Fargo | $56K | $62K |
| Bismarck | $49K | $54K |
| Sioux Falls | $39K | $43K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Great Falls, MT
Entry-level crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders (10th percentile) start around $35K. Mid-career wages sit at $45K. Top earners bring in $58K or more, a $23K spread from bottom to top.
Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | $71K | +47% | 170 |
| Alaska | $69K | +42% | 60 |
| Iowa | $63K | +29% | 1,420 |
| Nevada | $60K | +24% | 660 |
| Montana | $60K | +24% | 260 |
| Nebraska | $59K | +21% | 270 |
| Vermont | $59K | +21% | 160 |
| West Virginia | $59K | +21% | 160 |
| New York | $58K | +20% | 950 |
| Minnesota | $57K | +17% | 660 |
| Oregon | $56K | +15% | 490 |
| Wisconsin | $55K | +12% | 530 |
| Maine | $54K | +11% | 150 |
| Connecticut | $53K | +9% | 200 |
| Pennsylvania | $53K | +8% | 980 |
| Alabama | $52K | +7% | 610 |
| Utah | $52K | +7% | 260 |
| Idaho | $52K | +6% | 370 |
| Indiana | $51K | +5% | 920 |
| New Hampshire | $50K | +4% | 130 |
| Arizona | $50K | +4% | N/A |
| Massachusetts | $50K | +3% | 370 |
| North Dakota | $49K | +2% | 310 |
| Missouri | $49K | +1% | 750 |
| Kansas | $49K | +0% | 470 |
| South Dakota | $48K | -0% | 120 |
| Illinois | $48K | -1% | 710 |
| Washington | $48K | -1% | 470 |
| Florida | $47K | -3% | 520 |
| Colorado | $47K | -3% | 520 |
| New Jersey | $47K | -4% | 560 |
| Michigan | $47K | -4% | 670 |
| North Carolina | $46K | -5% | 560 |
| Georgia | $46K | -5% | 800 |
| California | $46K | -6% | 2,370 |
| New Mexico | $46K | -6% | 170 |
| Virginia | $46K | -6% | 530 |
| South Carolina | $45K | -7% | 330 |
| Texas | $45K | -7% | 1,440 |
| Louisiana | $45K | -7% | 200 |
| Ohio | $44K | -10% | 1,590 |
| Tennessee | $43K | -12% | 1,290 |
| Kentucky | $43K | -12% | 200 |
| Maryland | $42K | -13% | 140 |
| Arkansas | $39K | -20% | 520 |
| Oklahoma | $38K | -21% | 390 |
| Mississippi | $37K | -23% | 170 |
Showing 1–10 of 47 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders salary changes
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Related careers in Production & Manufacturing
Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tender afford a 2BR apartment alone in Great Falls?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $45K, rent takes 41.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,284/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 crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders in Great Falls?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders typically earn — is $35K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,410/month. At HUD’s $1,284/month FMR, rent would take 53% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tender a high-paying job in Great Falls?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $45K locally vs. $49K nationally, a 6% difference.
How does Great Falls compare to the national average for crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders?
Great Falls pays $45K median vs. the U.S. average of $49K — that’s -6%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 96.84), the purchasing-power equivalent is $47K — below the national median.
How much do crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders make in Great Falls, MT?
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 $34,630, and experienced crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders can clear $58,050. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $45K enough to live in Great Falls?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,081/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,284/month, which eats 41.7% 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 crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders salary go in Great Falls?
Great Falls has a Regional Price Parity of 96.84 (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 crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders salary is worth about $46,923 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do crushing, grinding, and polishing 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.