Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood Salary
The median pay for a sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood in Sioux Falls, SD-MN is $38,740/year ($18.62/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $34K at the entry level to $55K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 90.63), which stretches that salary to about $42,745 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,156/month, about 41.5% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $39K actually covers in Sioux Falls, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Sioux Falls’s Regional Price Parity (90.63). 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 Sioux Falls
Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood pay in Sioux Falls tracks closely to the national median, $39K locally vs. $43K nationwide, a 9% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,156/month, which is 41.8% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 90.63 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 9% 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 Sioux Falls, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Rapid City | $30K | $34K |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | $54K | $52K |
| Dubuque | $44K | $50K |
| Omaha | $48K | $52K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Sioux Falls, SD-MN
Entry-level sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods (10th percentile) start around $34K. Mid-career wages sit at $39K. Top earners bring in $55K or more, a $21K 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 annually. We'll email you when Sioux Falls numbers change.
Related careers in Production & Manufacturing
Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood afford a 2BR apartment alone in Sioux Falls?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $39K, rent takes 41.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,156/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 Sioux Falls?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods typically earn — is $34K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,441/month. At HUD’s $1,156/month FMR, rent would take 47% 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 Sioux Falls?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $39K locally vs. $43K nationally, a 9% difference.
How does Sioux Falls compare to the national average for sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods?
Sioux Falls pays $39K median vs. the U.S. average of $43K — that’s -9%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 90.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $43K — below the national median.
How much do sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods make in Sioux Falls, SD-MN?
The median is $38,740 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $33,920, and experienced sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods can clear $55,300. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $39K enough to live in Sioux Falls?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,764/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,156/month, which eats 41.8% 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 Sioux Falls?
Sioux Falls has a Regional Price Parity of 90.63 (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 $42,745 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.