SOC 51-9032.00

    Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

    Set up, operate, or tend machines that cut or slice materials, such as glass, stone, cork, rubber, tobacco, food, paper, or insulating material.

    Median pay
    $46,570
    Growth
    -0.9%
    Little or no change
    Openings a year
    5,400
    Typical education
    High school diploma

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

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    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $35,930
    Median
    $46,570
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $61,120
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    44,980 people work in this occupation.

    What cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    Set up, operate, or tend machines that cut or slice materials, such as glass, stone, cork, rubber, tobacco, food, paper, or insulating material.

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

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    95 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    10 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    0 / 100
    Social (S)
    0 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    3 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    58 / 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 RCI. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    81
    Handling and Moving Objects
    80
    Getting Information
    79
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    79
    Working with Computers
    79
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    78
    Controlling Machines and Processes
    77
    Performing General Physical Activities
    76
    Training and Teaching Others
    76
    Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
    73
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Operations Monitoring
    • Operation and Control
    • Quality Control Analysis
    • Monitoring
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Equipment Maintenance
    • Troubleshooting
    • Active Listening
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Coordination

    Knowledge

    • Production and Processing
    • English Language
    • Mechanical
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Administration and Management
    • Education and Training
    • Mathematics
    • Engineering and Technology
    • Design
    • Customer and Personal Service

    Abilities

    • Near Vision
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    • Control Precision
    • Manual Dexterity
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Finger Dexterity
    • Multilimb Coordination
    • Information Ordering
    • Visualization
    • Extent Flexibility

    Work styles

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

    Also called

    Abrasive Sawyer · Almond Cutting Machine Tender · Apple Peeler Operator · Applique Cutter · Arch Cushion Skiving Machine Operator · Automatic Glass Cutting Machine Operator · Automatic Outsole Cutter · Bag Cutter · Band Cutter · Band Sawing Machine Operator

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    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.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.