Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood Salary
The median pay for a sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC is $39,370/year ($18.93/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $33K at the entry level to $50K for experienced workers.
So what does $39K get you in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Durham-Chapel Hill’s Regional Price Parity (97.6). 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 Durham-Chapel Hill
Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood pay in Durham-Chapel Hill tracks closely to the national median, $39K locally vs. $43K nationwide, a 8% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,711/month, which is 64.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 97.6) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. 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 Durham-Chapel Hill, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | $39K | , |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton | $37K | , |
| Greensboro-High Point | $37K | , |
| Winston-Salem | $38K | , |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Entry-level sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods (10th percentile) start around $33K. Mid-career wages sit at $39K. Top earners bring in $50K or more, a $17K 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
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 Durham-Chapel Hill 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 Durham-Chapel Hill?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $39K, rent takes 64.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,711/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 Durham-Chapel Hill?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods typically earn — is $33K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,004/month. At HUD’s $1,711/month FMR, rent would take 85% 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 Durham-Chapel Hill?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $39K locally vs. $43K nationally, a 8% difference.
How does Durham-Chapel Hill compare to the national average for sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods?
Durham-Chapel Hill pays $39K median vs. the U.S. average of $43K — that’s -8%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.6), the purchasing-power equivalent is $40K — below the national median.
How much do sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods make in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?
The median is $39,370 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $33,400, and experienced sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods can clear $50,240. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $39K enough to live in Durham-Chapel Hill?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,658/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,711/month, which eats 64.4% 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 Durham-Chapel Hill?
Durham-Chapel Hill has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood salary is worth about $40,338 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.