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

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $58K, rent takes 58.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,246/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/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 $44K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,614/month. At HUD’s $2,246/month FMR, rent would take 86% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay is 12% above the national median — $58K here vs. $52K nationally. Keep in mind cost of living here is 9% above the national average, which offsets some of that premium.

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria pays $58K median vs. the U.S. average of $52K — that’s +12%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 108.88), the purchasing-power equivalent is $53K — still ahead of the national median.

The median is $57,900 a year, that works out to about $28 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $43,560, and experienced separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders can clear $91,090. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,845/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,246/month, which eats 58.4% 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.

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria has a Regional Price Parity of 108.88 (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 $53,178 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.