Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary
Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastics in New Jersey make a median of $35,630 a year, or about $17.13 an hour. The range runs from $35K at the entry level to $73K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 99.34), that's roughly $35,867 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,067/month, about 84% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. This is an aggregate across all of New Jersey. BLS does not publish metro-level data for this occupation in this state.
So what does $36K get you in New Jersey?
About forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics
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What this looks like in New Jersey
Pay for forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in New Jersey runs about 27% below the U.S. median of $49K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,067/month, which is 82.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 99.34) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. 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, New Jersey
Entry-level forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics (10th percentile) start around $35K. Mid-career wages sit at $36K. Top earners bring in $73K or more, a $38K 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $36K, rent takes 82.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,067/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 New Jersey?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics typically earn — is $35K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,090/month. At HUD’s $2,067/month FMR, rent would take 99% 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 New Jersey?
Local pay runs 27% below the national median — $36K here vs. $49K nationally.
How does New Jersey compare to the national average for forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics?
New Jersey pays $36K median vs. the U.S. average of $49K — that’s -27%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 99.34), the purchasing-power equivalent is $36K — below the national median.
How much do forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics make in New Jersey?
The median is $35,630 a year, that works out to about $17 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $34,840, and experienced forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics can clear $72,760. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $36K enough to live in New Jersey?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,509/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,067/month, which eats 82.4% 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 New Jersey?
New Jersey has a Regional Price Parity of 99.34 (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 $35,867 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.