Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Salary
Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in Pittsburgh, PA make a median of $53,040 a year, or about $25.5 an hour. The range runs from $38K at the entry level to $66K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 94.67), which stretches that salary to about $56,026 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,299/month, about 36.6% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $53K get you in Pittsburgh?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Pittsburgh’s Regional Price Parity (94.67). 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 Pittsburgh
Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders pay in Pittsburgh tracks closely to the national median, $53K locally vs. $49K nationwide, a 9% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,299/month, which is 36.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 94.67 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 5% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. 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 Pittsburgh, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Chambersburg | $64K | $68K |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $49K | $48K |
| Reading | $55K | $57K |
| Lancaster | $51K | $52K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Pittsburgh, PA
Entry-level crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders (10th percentile) start around $38K. Mid-career wages sit at $53K. Top earners bring in $66K or more, a $28K 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
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Pittsburgh numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tender afford a 2BR apartment alone in Pittsburgh?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $53K, rent takes 36.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,299/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 crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders in Pittsburgh?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders typically earn — is $38K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,300/month. At HUD’s $1,299/month FMR, rent would take 56% 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 Pittsburgh?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $53K locally vs. $49K nationally, a 9% difference.
How does Pittsburgh compare to the national average for crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders?
Pittsburgh pays $53K median vs. the U.S. average of $49K — that’s +9%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.67), the purchasing-power equivalent is $56K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders make in Pittsburgh, PA?
The median is $53,040 a year, that works out to about $26 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $38,330, and experienced crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders can clear $66,480. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $53K enough to live in Pittsburgh?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,586/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,299/month, which eats 36.2% 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 Pittsburgh?
Pittsburgh has a Regional Price Parity of 94.67 (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 $56,026 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.