Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing Salary
In Richmond, VA, woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawings earn $36,790 at the median, or about $17.69 an hour. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $49K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.86), that's roughly $37,595 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,655/month, about 66% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $37K get you in Richmond?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Richmond’s Regional Price Parity (97.86). 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
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Richmond
Pay for woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing in Richmond runs about 15% below the U.S. median of $43K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,655/month, which is 66.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 97.86) 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 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 Richmond, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Roanoke | $39K | $42K |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk | $38K | $39K |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton | $38K | $43K |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | $42K | $43K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Richmond, VA
Entry-level woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawings (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $37K. Top earners bring in $49K or more, a $18K 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 with published data
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
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Richmond numbers change.
Related careers in Production & Manufacturing
Frequently asked questions
Can a woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing afford a 2BR apartment alone in Richmond?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $37K, rent takes 66.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,655/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 Richmond?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawings typically earn — is $31K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,887/month. At HUD’s $1,655/month FMR, rent would take 88% 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 Richmond?
Local pay runs 15% below the national median — $37K here vs. $43K nationally.
How does Richmond compare to the national average for woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawings?
Richmond pays $37K median vs. the U.S. average of $43K — that’s -15%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.86), the purchasing-power equivalent is $38K — below the national median.
How much do woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawings make in Richmond, VA?
The median is $36,790 a year, that works out to about $18 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,450, and experienced woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawings can clear $49,330. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $37K enough to live in Richmond?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,500/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,655/month, which eats 66.2% 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 Richmond?
Richmond has a Regional Price Parity of 97.86 (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 $37,595 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.