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

Median salary

$48,250

Average salary

$52,620

Employment

158,740

Projected growth

0.7% growth

Annual openings

15,800

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

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

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.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: 3.6%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Experience: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
Education: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Mechanicalimportance 3.0/5
English Languageimportance 2.6/5
Production and Processingimportance 2.6/5
Education and Trainingimportance 2.2/5
Chemistryimportance 2.1/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 2.0/5
Public Safety and Securityimportance 2.0/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 1.9/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.8/5
Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable4.7/5
Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions4.6/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.5/5
Exposed to Contaminants4.3/5
Spend Time Standing4.3/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Roustabouts, Oil and Gas97% skill match
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand97% skill match
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders97% skill match
Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders96% skill match
Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders96% skill match
Printing Press Operators96% skill match
Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders96% skill match
Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators96% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Operations Monitoringimportance 3.6/5
Operation and Controlimportance 3.1/5
Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.1/5
Equipment Maintenanceimportance 3.0/5
Repairingimportance 3.0/5
Coordinationimportance 2.9/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.9/5
Equipment Selectionimportance 2.9/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Inventory control software
Inventory management systems
Maintenance management software
Materials requirement planning MRP software
Robotic painting software
Scheduling software
Time recording software

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Attention to Detail
Dependability
Cautiousness
Integrity
Stress Tolerance
Achievement Orientation
Perseverance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
ConventionalMedium
ArtisticLow
InvestigativeLow
SocialLow
EnterprisingLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).