Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing Salary
In Billings, MT, woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawings earn $37,140 at the median, or about $17.86 an hour. The range runs from $22K at the entry level to $59K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 93.53), which stretches that salary to about $39,709 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,417/month, about 55.9% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $37K get you in Billings?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Billings’s Regional Price Parity (93.53). 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 woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawings
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What this looks like in Billings
Pay for woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing in Billings runs about 14% below the U.S. median of $43K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,417/month, which is 55.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 93.53 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 6% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawings.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawings in metros near Billings, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Boise City | $47K | $48K |
| Sioux Falls | $43K | $48K |
| Fargo | $47K | $51K |
| Rapid City | $38K | $43K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Billings, MT
Entry-level woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawings (10th percentile) start around $22K. Mid-career wages sit at $37K. Top earners bring in $59K or more, a $37K spread from bottom to top.
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $53K | +22% | 1,250 |
| Minnesota | $52K | +19% | 710 |
| Iowa | $51K | +18% | 1,100 |
| New Jersey | $50K | +15% | 410 |
| Oregon | $49K | +14% | 2,120 |
| Nebraska | $49K | +13% | 490 |
| Michigan | $48K | +10% | 5,250 |
| Louisiana | $47K | +9% | 400 |
| Connecticut | $47K | +9% | 150 |
| Colorado | $47K | +7% | 440 |
| Vermont | $46K | +7% | 200 |
| Maryland | $46K | +7% | 420 |
| New Hampshire | $46K | +7% | 440 |
| Massachusetts | $46K | +7% | 890 |
| California | $46K | +7% | 3,530 |
| Rhode Island | $46K | +6% | 100 |
| North Dakota | $46K | +6% | 280 |
| Idaho | $46K | +5% | 830 |
| Montana | $46K | +5% | 360 |
| Pennsylvania | $45K | +4% | 3,310 |
| Wisconsin | $44K | +2% | 2,610 |
| Maine | $44K | +2% | 440 |
| Ohio | $44K | +1% | 2,710 |
| New York | $44K | +1% | 1,250 |
| Kansas | $44K | +0% | 470 |
| Mississippi | $42K | -3% | 860 |
| South Carolina | $42K | -3% | 1,660 |
| South Dakota | $42K | -4% | 490 |
| Indiana | $42K | -4% | 3,570 |
| Illinois | $41K | -5% | 1,820 |
| Nevada | $41K | -5% | 310 |
| West Virginia | $40K | -8% | 280 |
| Wyoming | $40K | -8% | 40 |
| Arizona | $39K | -9% | 1,430 |
| Virginia | $39K | -9% | 1,520 |
| Utah | $39K | -9% | 1,050 |
| Florida | $39K | -11% | 1,840 |
| New Mexico | $39K | -11% | 150 |
| Missouri | $39K | -11% | 940 |
| Kentucky | $38K | -12% | 1,320 |
| North Carolina | $38K | -13% | 4,090 |
| Georgia | $37K | -14% | 2,280 |
| Arkansas | $37K | -15% | 760 |
| Alabama | $37K | -15% | 2,580 |
| Oklahoma | $36K | -17% | 260 |
| Tennessee | $35K | -19% | 1,840 |
| Texas | $34K | -22% | 2,130 |
Showing 1–10 of 47 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing salary changes
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Related careers in Production & Manufacturing
Frequently asked questions
Can a woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing afford a 2BR apartment alone in Billings?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $37K, rent takes 55.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,417/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 woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawings in Billings?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawings typically earn — is $22K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,327/month. At HUD’s $1,417/month FMR, rent would take 107% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing a high-paying job in Billings?
Local pay runs 14% below the national median — $37K here vs. $43K nationally. Cost of living is 6% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Billings compare to the national average for woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawings?
Billings pays $37K median vs. the U.S. average of $43K — that’s -14%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.53), the purchasing-power equivalent is $40K — below the national median.
How much do woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawings make in Billings, MT?
The median is $37,140 a year, that works out to about $18 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $22,110, and experienced woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawings can clear $58,620. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $37K enough to live in Billings?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,566/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,417/month, which eats 55.2% 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 woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing salary go in Billings?
Billings has a Regional Price Parity of 93.53 (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 woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing salary is worth about $39,709 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawings 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.