SOC 51-9124.00

    Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

    Set up, operate, or tend spraying or rolling machines to coat or paint any of a wide variety of products, including glassware, cloth, ceramics, metal, plastic, paper, or wood, with lacquer, silver, copper, rubber, varnish, glaze, enamel, oil, or rust-proofing materials.

    Median pay
    $48,250
    Growth
    +2.5%
    As fast as average
    Openings a year
    15,300
    Typical education
    High school diploma

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $36,260
    Median
    $48,250
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $74,730
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    158,740 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Coating, painting, and spraying machine operators set up and run machinery to apply protective or decorative finishes to various products. This career offers a median annual pay of $48,250.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    Set up, operate, or tend spraying or rolling machines to coat or paint any of a wide variety of products, including glassware, cloth, ceramics, metal, plastic, paper, or wood, with lacquer, silver, copper, rubber, varnish, glaze, enamel, oil, or rust-proofing materials. Includes painters of transportation vehicles such as painters in auto body repair facilities.

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    What the work is like

    Workers in this field set up, operate, or tend machines that coat or paint products made of wood, metal, glass, ceramics, paper, or plastic. They apply materials such as lacquer, varnish, enamel, rust-proofing, or glaze. This role includes painting transportation vehicles, such as cars in auto body repair shops.

    On the job, daily activities involve controlling machines and processes, handling and moving objects, and inspecting equipment or materials. Operators must monitor processes and surroundings, evaluate information to ensure compliance with standards, and make decisions to solve problems.

    This occupation is highly realistic and requires strong skills in operations monitoring, equipment control, quality control analysis, and equipment maintenance. Successful workers show attention to detail, dependability, cautiousness, and stress tolerance. They also utilize knowledge of mechanics, production processes, chemistry, and public safety.

    How to get there

    To enter this career, individuals typically need a high school diploma. The occupation is classified under O*NET Job Zone 2, meaning it requires some preparation, which usually includes a high school diploma along with some on-the-job training or previous work experience.

    For those pursuing formal education, college majors in vehicle maintenance and repair technologies can lead to this career path. Some states list licensing requirements for this work.

    Additionally, workers can earn professional certifications to demonstrate their skills. Available certifications include the Industrial Painter Assessment from the National Center for Construction Education and Research. The Association for Materials Protection and Performance also offers credentials such as the Protective Coating Technician, Cathodic Protection 1 - Tester, and various levels of the Coating Inspector Program.

    Pay and outlook explained

    According to 2025 data, the median annual pay for these machine operators and tenders is $48,250. The lowest 10% of earners make less than $36,260, while the highest 10% earn more than $74,730.

    There are 158,740 people employed in this field. Between 2025 and 2035, employment is projected to grow by 2.5%, which is as fast as the average for all occupations. Despite this modest growth rate, the field expects about 15,300 job openings each year due to the need to replace workers who leave the occupation.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    100 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    8 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    18 / 100
    Social (S)
    4 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    1 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    44 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code RCA. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Getting Information
    82
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    80
    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    79
    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    76
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    68
    Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
    67
    Controlling Machines and Processes
    66
    Processing Information
    65
    Handling and Moving Objects
    64
    Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
    62
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Operations Monitoring
    • Monitoring
    • Operation and Control
    • Quality Control Analysis
    • Equipment Maintenance
    • Repairing
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Coordination
    • Equipment Selection
    • Time Management

    Knowledge

    • Mechanical
    • English Language
    • Production and Processing
    • Education and Training
    • Chemistry
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Public Safety and Security
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Engineering and Technology
    • Administration and Management

    Abilities

    • Near Vision
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    • Control Precision
    • Visual Color Discrimination
    • Manual Dexterity
    • Far Vision
    • Finger Dexterity
    • Flexibility of Closure
    • Perceptual Speed
    • Trunk Strength

    Work styles

    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Cautiousness
    • Integrity
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Perseverance
    • Self-Control
    • Self-Confidence
    • Adaptability

    Also called

    Abrasive Coating Machine Operator · Abrasive Coating Machine Setup Operator · Air Drier · Air Drier Machine Operator · Aircraft Painter · Auto Body Painter (Automotive Body Painter) · Auto Painter (Automobile Painter) · Auto Refinisher (Automobile Refinisher) · Auto Striper (Automotive Striper) · Automatic Paint Sprayer Operator

    Career pathway

    From your interests to coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,250 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1
      Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide

      Daytona Beach, FL · Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $77,491
      4 yrs after
      $87,797
      Median debt
      $21,986
    2. 2SUNY Morrisville logo
      SUNY Morrisville

      Morrisville, NY · Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $51,819
      4 yrs after
      $61,351
      Median debt
      Not reported

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Autobody/Collision and Repair Technology/Technician

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    1 state lists a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What kinds of products do these operators paint or coat?

    These workers coat a wide variety of items made of glass, cloth, ceramics, metal, plastic, paper, or wood. They also paint transportation vehicles, such as cars in automotive body repair facilities.

    What are some common job titles for this career?

    People in this occupation may be called auto body painters, aircraft painters, auto refinishers, abrasive coating machine setup operators, or automatic paint sprayer operators.

    Is a college degree required to start in this field?

    No, a college degree is not typically required. Most workers enter the field with a high school diploma and receive on-the-job training, though some study vehicle maintenance and repair technologies in college.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.