Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood Salary
The median pay for a sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood in Kentucky is $36,810/year ($17.7/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $29K at the entry level to $47K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 90.23), which stretches that salary to about $40,796 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,110/month, about 44.2% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Kentucky. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $37K get you in Kentucky?
About sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods
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What this looks like in Kentucky
Pay for sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood in Kentucky runs about 14% below the U.S. median of $43K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,110/month, which is 44.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 90.23 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 10% 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 sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Kentucky
Entry-level sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods (10th percentile) start around $29K. Mid-career wages sit at $37K. Top earners bring in $47K or more, a $18K spread from bottom to top.
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood salary by metro in Kentucky
1 metro area with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville/Jefferson County | $40K | +9% | 280 |
Compare to other states
Track sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood afford a 2BR apartment alone in Kentucky?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $37K, rent takes 44.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,110/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 Kentucky?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods typically earn — is $29K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,733/month. At HUD’s $1,110/month FMR, rent would take 64% 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 Kentucky?
Local pay runs 14% below the national median — $37K here vs. $43K nationally. Cost of living is 10% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Kentucky compare to the national average for sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods?
Kentucky pays $37K median vs. the U.S. average of $43K — that’s -14%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 90.23), the purchasing-power equivalent is $41K — below the national median.
How much do sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods make in Kentucky?
The median is $36,810 a year, that works out to about $18 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $28,880, and experienced sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods can clear $46,700. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $37K enough to live in Kentucky?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,512/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,110/month, which eats 44.2% 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 Kentucky?
Kentucky has a Regional Price Parity of 90.23 (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 $40,796 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.