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Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Salary in Boston, MA

In the 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS dataset, Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in Boston, MA have a median annual salary of $58,820, with 470 recorded jobs in this area. Recorded earnings range from $42,030 at the 10th percentile to $78,320 at the 90th percentile.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · Data year: 2025 · Last updated: 2026-09-22

Salary overview

Median annual salary

$58,820

Data year: 2025

Hourly median

$28.28

Employment

470

Source

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS

Salary distribution

$42,030
10th
$46,940
25th
$58,820
Median
$65,220
75th
$78,320
90th

Local compared with national

Boston, MA

$58,820

Median annual · 2025

United States

$50,270

Median annual · 2025

The Boston, MA median is 17.0% above the national median in the available dataset (a difference of $8,550).

Top skills

  1. 1.Operations MonitoringImportance 3.6
  2. 2.Operation and ControlImportance 3.3
  3. 3.Quality Control AnalysisImportance 3.1
  4. 4.Active ListeningImportance 3.0
  5. 5.SpeakingImportance 3.0
  6. 6.Critical ThinkingImportance 3.0
  7. 7.MonitoringImportance 3.0
  8. 8.Time ManagementImportance 3.0
  9. 9.Active LearningImportance 2.9
  10. 10.Social PerceptivenessImportance 2.9
  11. 11.CoordinationImportance 2.9
  12. 12.Complex Problem SolvingImportance 2.9

Career information

Education and experience

Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
Up to and including 1 month
Job zone
2

Technology used

  • Adobe Acrobat
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe InDesign
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Word
  • Objectif Lune PrintShop Mail
  • Quark enterprise publishing software
  • Virtual Systems Mail-Shop

Common tasks

  • Examine completed work to detect defects and verify conformance to work orders, and adjust machinery as necessary to correct production problems.
  • Observe operation of various machines to detect and correct machine malfunctions such as improper forming, glue flow, or pasteboard tension.
  • Start machines and move controls to regulate tension on pressure rolls, to synchronize speed of machine components, and to adjust temperatures of glue or paraffin.
  • Disassemble machines to maintain, repair, or replace broken or worn parts, using hand or power tools.
  • Install attachments to machines for gluing, folding, printing, or cutting.
  • Cut products to specified dimensions, using hand or power cutters.
  • Place rolls of paper or cardboard on machine feed tracks, and thread paper through gluing, coating, and slitting rollers.
  • Monitor finished cartons as they drop from forming machines into rotating hoppers and into gravity feed chutes to prevent jamming.
  • Adjust guide assemblies, forming bars, and folding mechanisms according to specifications, using hand tools.
  • Measure, space, and set saw blades, cutters, and perforators, according to product specifications.

Related careers

Occupations recorded as related in the dataset. A relationship does not imply a guaranteed transition.

Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders salary in other locations

Other occupations in Boston, MA