Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood Salary
The median pay for a sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is $54,340/year ($26.13/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $46K at the entry level to $65K for experienced workers.
So what does $54K get you in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Santa Cruz-Watsonville’s Regional Price Parity (109.9). 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville
Santa Cruz-Watsonville sits well above the national pay line for sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood, local pay runs about 27% higher than the U.S. median of $43K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $4,214/month, which is 114.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 10% above the national average (BEA RPP 109.9), so groceries and services cost more too. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods in metros near Santa Cruz-Watsonville, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $46K | , |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $44K | , |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | $47K | , |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $46K | , |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
Entry-level sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods (10th percentile) start around $46K. Mid-career wages sit at $54K. Top earners bring in $65K or more, a $19K 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $54K, rent takes 114.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $4,214/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,100/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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods typically earn — is $46K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,780/month. At HUD’s $4,214/month FMR, rent would take 152% 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
Local pay is 27% above the national median — $54K here vs. $43K nationally. Keep in mind cost of living here is 10% above the national average, which offsets some of that premium.
How does Santa Cruz-Watsonville compare to the national average for sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods?
Santa Cruz-Watsonville pays $54K median vs. the U.S. average of $43K — that’s +27%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 109.9), the purchasing-power equivalent is $49K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods make in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
The median is $54,340 a year, that works out to about $26 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $46,330, and experienced sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods can clear $65,370. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $54K enough to live in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,679/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $4,214/month, which eats 114.5% 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
Santa Cruz-Watsonville 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 $49,445 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.