Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood Salary
The median pay for a sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC is $37,370/year ($17.96/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $47K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.94), that's roughly $38,156 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,713/month, about 67.2% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $37K get you in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk’s Regional Price Parity (97.94). 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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk
Pay for sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk runs about 13% below the U.S. median of $43K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,713/month, which is 67.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 97.94) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods in metros near Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Richmond | $36K | $37K |
| Roanoke | $35K | $38K |
| Lynchburg | $37K | $41K |
| Huntington-Ashland | $32K | $36K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
Entry-level sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $37K. Top earners bring in $47K or more, a $16K 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 quarterly. We'll email you when Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk 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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $37K, rent takes 67.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,713/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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods typically earn — is $31K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,855/month. At HUD’s $1,713/month FMR, rent would take 92% 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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk?
Local pay runs 13% below the national median — $37K here vs. $43K nationally.
How does Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk compare to the national average for sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods?
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk pays $37K median vs. the U.S. average of $43K — that’s -13%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.94), the purchasing-power equivalent is $38K — below the national median.
How much do sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods make in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC?
The median is $37,370 a year, that works out to about $18 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $30,910, and experienced sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woods can clear $46,660. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $37K enough to live in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,536/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,713/month, which eats 67.5% 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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk?
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk has a Regional Price Parity of 97.94 (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 $38,156 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.