Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary
Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastics in Mississippi make a median of $39,550 a year, or about $19.02 an hour. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $45K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 88.9), which stretches that salary to about $44,488 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,077/month, about 39.9% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. This is an aggregate across all of Mississippi. BLS does not publish metro-level data for this occupation in this state.
So what does $40K get you in Mississippi?
About forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics
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What this looks like in Mississippi
Pay for forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in Mississippi runs about 19% below the U.S. median of $49K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,077/month, which is 40.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 88.9 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 11% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Mississippi
Entry-level forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $40K. Top earners bring in $45K or more, a $7K spread from bottom to top.
Compare to other states
Track forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Mississippi numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic afford a 2BR apartment alone in Mississippi?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $40K, rent takes 40.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,077/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics in Mississippi?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,249/month. At HUD’s $1,077/month FMR, rent would take 48% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic a high-paying job in Mississippi?
Local pay runs 19% below the national median — $40K here vs. $49K nationally. Cost of living is 11% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Mississippi compare to the national average for forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics?
Mississippi pays $40K median vs. the U.S. average of $49K — that’s -19%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 88.9), the purchasing-power equivalent is $44K — below the national median.
How much do forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics make in Mississippi?
The median is $39,550 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $37,490, and experienced forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics can clear $44,500. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $40K enough to live in Mississippi?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,663/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,077/month, which eats 40.4% 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 forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic salary go in Mississippi?
Mississippi has a Regional Price Parity of 88.9 (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 forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic salary is worth about $44,488 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics 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.