Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Salary
The median pay for a plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in Louisiana is $34,040/year ($16.36/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $28K at the entry level to $53K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 87.28), which stretches that salary to about $39,001 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,191/month, about 51.3% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. This is an aggregate across all of Louisiana. BLS does not publish metro-level data for this occupation in this state.
So what does $34K get you in Louisiana?
About plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics
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What this looks like in Louisiana
Pay for plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in Louisiana runs about 23% below the U.S. median of $44K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,191/month, which is 50.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 87.28 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 13% 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 plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Louisiana
Entry-level plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics (10th percentile) start around $28K. Mid-career wages sit at $34K. Top earners bring in $53K or more, a $24K spread from bottom to top.
Compare to other states
Track plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Louisiana numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic afford a 2BR apartment alone in Louisiana?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $34K, rent takes 50.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,191/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $700/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics in Louisiana?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics typically earn — is $28K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,705/month. At HUD’s $1,191/month FMR, rent would take 70% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic a high-paying job in Louisiana?
Local pay runs 23% below the national median — $34K here vs. $44K nationally. Cost of living is 13% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Louisiana compare to the national average for plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics?
Louisiana pays $34K median vs. the U.S. average of $44K — that’s -23%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 87.28), the purchasing-power equivalent is $39K — below the national median.
How much do plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics make in Louisiana?
The median is $34,040 a year, that works out to about $16 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $28,410, and experienced plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics can clear $52,500. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $34K enough to live in Louisiana?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,367/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,191/month, which eats 50.3% 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 plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic salary go in Louisiana?
Louisiana has a Regional Price Parity of 87.28 (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 plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic salary is worth about $39,001 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do plating 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.