Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary
The median pay for a grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in North Dakota is $47,670/year ($22.92/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $47K at the entry level to $66K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 88.89), which stretches that salary to about $53,628 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,034/month, about 31.2% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. This is an aggregate across all of North Dakota. BLS does not publish metro-level data for this occupation in this state.
So what does $48K get you in North Dakota?
About grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics
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What this looks like in North Dakota
Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic pay in North Dakota tracks closely to the national median, $48K locally vs. $47K nationwide, a 2% difference. Rent runs $1,034/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 31.5% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Regional Price Parity sits at 88.89 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 11% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, North Dakota
Entry-level grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics (10th percentile) start around $47K. Mid-career wages sit at $48K. Top earners bring in $66K or more, a $18K spread from bottom to top.
Compare to other states
Track grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when North Dakota numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic afford a 2BR apartment alone in North Dakota?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $48K, rent takes 31.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,034/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 grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics in North Dakota?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics typically earn — is $47K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,832/month. At HUD’s $1,034/month FMR, rent would take 37% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic a high-paying job in North Dakota?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $48K locally vs. $47K nationally, a 2% difference.
How does North Dakota compare to the national average for grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics?
North Dakota pays $48K median vs. the U.S. average of $47K — that’s +2%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 88.89), the purchasing-power equivalent is $54K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics make in North Dakota?
The median is $47,670 a year, that works out to about $23 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $47,200, and experienced grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics can clear $65,530. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $48K enough to live in North Dakota?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,284/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,034/month, which eats 31.5% 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 grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic salary go in North Dakota?
North Dakota has a Regional Price Parity of 88.89 (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 grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic salary is worth about $53,628 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool 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.