Career Atlas USA

Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Salary in Kalamazoo-Portage, MI

According to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the median annual wage for Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in Kalamazoo-Portage, MI is $51,360. BLS estimates approximately 370 people work in this occupation in Kalamazoo-Portage, MI. Kalamazoo-Portage, MI is 2.2% above the national median ($50,270).

Median salary
$51,360
Average salary
$52,220
Median hourly
$24.69
Employment
370

Salary Distribution

Not everyone earns the median. Percentile wages show the range of pay within this occupation.

PercentileAnnual wageHourly wage
10th percentile$42,090$20.24
25th percentile$47,110$22.65
Median (50th)$51,360$24.69
75th percentile$58,130$27.95
90th percentile$62,930$30.25

Data Reliability

BLS OEWS is a survey, not a full census — every estimate carries a margin of error. The relative standard error (RSE) below is BLS’s own measure of how much an estimate could vary; lower is more precise.

Wage estimate
RSE 1.1% — Very reliable
Employment estimate
RSE 4.3% — Very reliable

Where Does Your Salary Fall?

Enter an annual salary to see roughly where it falls among reported wages for this occupation, based on the percentile points above.

$

Concentration

Jobs per 1,000
3.013
Location quotient
4.87

Cost-of-Living Adjusted Salary

Kalamazoo-Portage, MI’s regional price level is below the national average (index 94.84, where 100 = U.S. average). Adjusted for that, the median salary has the purchasing power of $54,154 at the national price level.

This is a Career Atlas USA calculation based on BLS wage data and BEA Regional Price Parities. It is not a separate BLS wage estimate. Wage data: May 2025. Cost-of-living data: 2024.

Sources

Wage data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)May 2025 (release 25).

Figures shown as “Not available” reflect wages the source does not publish (e.g. suppressed for reliability), not zero.

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