Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood Salary
The median pay for a sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood in New Mexico is $34,720/year ($16.69/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $29K at the entry level to $65K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 93.06), which stretches that salary to about $37,309 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,119/month, about 47.3% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. This is an aggregate across all of New Mexico. BLS does not publish metro-level data for this occupation in this state.
So what does $35K get you in New Mexico?
About sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods
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What this looks like in New Mexico
Pay for sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood in New Mexico runs about 19% below the U.S. median of $43K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,119/month, which is 45.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 93.06 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 7% 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, New Mexico
Entry-level sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods (10th percentile) start around $29K. Mid-career wages sit at $35K. Top earners bring in $65K or more, a $36K spread from bottom to top.
Compare to other states
Track sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when New Mexico numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood afford a 2BR apartment alone in New Mexico?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $35K, rent takes 45.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,119/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 sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods in New Mexico?
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 $1,747/month. At HUD’s $1,119/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 New Mexico?
Local pay runs 19% below the national median — $35K here vs. $43K nationally. Cost of living is 7% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does New Mexico compare to the national average for sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods?
New Mexico pays $35K median vs. the U.S. average of $43K — that’s -19%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.06), the purchasing-power equivalent is $37K — below the national median.
How much do sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods make in New Mexico?
The median is $34,720 a year, that works out to about $17 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $29,120, and experienced sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods can clear $64,840. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $35K enough to live in New Mexico?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,436/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,119/month, which eats 45.9% 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 New Mexico?
New Mexico has a Regional Price Parity of 93.06 (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 $37,309 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.