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Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Salary in WA

In the 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS dataset, Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in WA have a median annual salary of $59,410, with 2,170 recorded jobs in this area. Recorded earnings range from $44,640 at the 10th percentile to $74,410 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

$59,410

Data year: 2025

Hourly median

$28.56

Employment

2,170

Source

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS

Salary distribution

$44,640
10th
$49,960
25th
$59,410
Median
$64,650
75th
$74,410
90th

Local compared with national

WA

$59,410

Median annual · 2025

United States

$50,270

Median annual · 2025

The WA median is 18.2% above the national median in the available dataset (a difference of $9,140).

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 WA