Career Atlas USA

Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Median salary
$50,620
Average salary
$52,490
Employment
16,710
Projected growth
13.6% decline
Annual openings
1,500
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent

What Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Do

Set up, operate, or tend lathe and turning machines to turn, bore, thread, form, or face metal or plastic materials, such as wire, rod, or bar stock.

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
Not available

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.

  • Production and Processingimportance 4.0/5
  • Mechanicalimportance 3.6/5
  • Engineering and Technologyimportance 3.6/5
  • Education and Trainingimportance 3.3/5
  • Administration and Managementimportance 3.3/5
  • Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.3/5
  • English Languageimportance 3.2/5
  • Mathematicsimportance 3.1/5

Work Environment

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

  • Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets5.0/5
  • Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.4/5
  • Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.2/5
  • Spend Time Standing4.1/5
  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams3.7/5
  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate3.7/5

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.

Transferable Skills

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

  • Operations Monitoringimportance 3.5/5
  • Operation and Controlimportance 3.4/5
  • Equipment Maintenanceimportance 3.0/5
  • Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.0/5
  • Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.9/5
  • Time Managementimportance 2.8/5
  • Coordinationimportance 2.6/5
  • Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.6/5

Software & Technologies

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

Other Software Used

Work Style

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

  • Attention to Detail
  • Dependability
  • Cautiousness
  • Achievement Orientation
  • Perseverance
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Integrity

Career Interests

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

  • RealisticHigh
  • ConventionalMedium
  • InvestigativeLow
  • ArtisticLow
  • 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 lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

  1. 1Jackson, MI17.59× national avg
  2. 2Waterbury-Shelton, CT15.93× national avg
  3. 3Rockford, IL11.23× national avg
  4. 4Peoria, IL10.59× national avg
  5. 5Canton-Massillon, OH5.09× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

See the full career path from Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.

Machine Tool Technology/Machinist

Full salary data & percentiles →Best states for this career →Highest-paying states →