Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood Salary
The median pay for a sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood in Columbia, SC is $40,620/year ($19.53/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $28K at the entry level to $50K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 93.66), which stretches that salary to about $43,370 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,276/month, about 46.1% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $41K get you in Columbia?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Columbia’s Regional Price Parity (93.66). 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.
About sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods
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What this looks like in Columbia
Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood pay in Columbia tracks closely to the national median, $41K locally vs. $43K nationwide, a 5% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,276/month, which is 45.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 93.66 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 6% 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 sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods in metros near Columbia, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Florence | $45K | $52K |
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer | $38K | $41K |
| Charleston-North Charleston | $39K | $39K |
| Spartanburg | $36K | $40K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Columbia, SC
Entry-level sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods (10th percentile) start around $28K. Mid-career wages sit at $41K. Top earners bring in $50K or more, a $22K spread from bottom to top.
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $53K | +23% | 100 |
| Washington | $52K | +21% | 1,720 |
| Minnesota | $51K | +20% | 500 |
| Connecticut | $51K | +20% | 110 |
| Oregon | $50K | +16% | 2,010 |
| Montana | $49K | +15% | 280 |
| Idaho | $48K | +13% | 700 |
| Iowa | $48K | +12% | 240 |
| California | $47K | +11% | 3,230 |
| Massachusetts | $47K | +10% | 60 |
| Maryland | $47K | +10% | 130 |
| Colorado | $47K | +10% | 350 |
| Nebraska | $47K | +10% | 140 |
| Louisiana | $47K | +9% | 500 |
| Illinois | $47K | +9% | 470 |
| Maine | $46K | +8% | 730 |
| New Hampshire | $46K | +8% | 130 |
| Vermont | $46K | +8% | 230 |
| Ohio | $45K | +5% | 2,180 |
| New Jersey | $45K | +4% | 80 |
| Wisconsin | $44K | +4% | 1,880 |
| Utah | $43K | +2% | 180 |
| Arizona | $43K | +0% | 310 |
| Indiana | $43K | -0% | 1,270 |
| New York | $42K | -1% | 1,010 |
| Pennsylvania | $41K | -5% | 1,720 |
| Michigan | $40K | -6% | 1,510 |
| Georgia | $40K | -7% | 1,930 |
| Wyoming | $39K | -8% | 70 |
| Nevada | $39K | -8% | 170 |
| South Carolina | $39K | -8% | 810 |
| Tennessee | $39K | -9% | 1,510 |
| Florida | $38K | -10% | 740 |
| North Carolina | $38K | -11% | 2,020 |
| Missouri | $38K | -11% | 1,380 |
| Alabama | $38K | -12% | 1,880 |
| South Dakota | $37K | -12% | 260 |
| Mississippi | $37K | -14% | 1,910 |
| Kansas | $37K | -14% | 110 |
| Kentucky | $37K | -14% | 1,050 |
| Texas | $37K | -14% | 1,680 |
| Arkansas | $37K | -14% | 1,240 |
| Oklahoma | $36K | -16% | 250 |
| Virginia | $36K | -16% | 1,580 |
| West Virginia | $36K | -17% | 360 |
| New Mexico | $35K | -19% | 70 |
Showing 1–10 of 46 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Columbia numbers change.
Related careers in Production & Manufacturing
Frequently asked questions
Can a sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood afford a 2BR apartment alone in Columbia?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $41K, rent takes 45.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,276/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 sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods in Columbia?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods typically earn — is $28K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,680/month. At HUD’s $1,276/month FMR, rent would take 76% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood a high-paying job in Columbia?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $41K locally vs. $43K nationally, a 5% difference.
How does Columbia compare to the national average for sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods?
Columbia pays $41K median vs. the U.S. average of $43K — that’s -5%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.66), the purchasing-power equivalent is $43K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods make in Columbia, SC?
The median is $40,620 a year, that works out to about $20 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $28,000, and experienced sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods can clear $50,440. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $41K enough to live in Columbia?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,809/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,276/month, which eats 45.4% 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 sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood salary go in Columbia?
Columbia has a Regional Price Parity of 93.66 (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 sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood salary is worth about $43,370 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods 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.