Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $62K, rent takes 86.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $3,604/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,300/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders typically earn — is $47K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,842/month. At HUD’s $3,604/month FMR, rent would take 127% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay is 21% above the national median — $62K here vs. $52K nationally. Keep in mind cost of living here is 16% above the national average, which offsets some of that premium.

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont pays $62K median vs. the U.S. average of $52K — that’s +21%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 115.61), the purchasing-power equivalent is $54K — still ahead of the national median.

The median is $62,320 a year, that works out to about $30 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $47,360, and experienced separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders can clear $91,410. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,169/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $3,604/month, which eats 86.4% 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.

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont has a Regional Price Parity of 115.61 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders salary is worth about $53,905 in national-average purchasing power.

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.