Best degree programs for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, ranked by enrollment
2 college programs and 238 schools train Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $46,330 median wage, 171,200 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
2 college programs at 238 schools train cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic, graduating 3,904 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Machine Tool Technology/Machinist. The job pays a median of $46,330 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
2 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 48.0501 | 3,489 | 89.4% | 228 | $36,566 | $9,429 |
| 2 | CIP 48.0506 | 415 | 10.6% | 18 | $36,566 | $9,429 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $48,450 | 7,710 | 0.38× | 32 | 635 |
| South Carolina | $44,420 | 4,100 | 1.62× | 13 | 285 |
| Texas | $42,720 | 13,290 | 0.86× | 10 | 263 |
| Tennessee | $44,780 | 5,380 | 1.49× | 21 | 254 |
| Kansas | $46,840 | 1,900 | 1.20× | 6 | 195 |
| Wisconsin | $49,270 | 7,960 | 2.46× | 12 | 173 |
| Colorado | $50,790 | 1,400 | 0.44× | 6 | 167 |
| Oklahomamoderate | $40,930 | 2,480 | 1.32× | 4 | 166 |
| Mississippi | $40,650 | 1,700 | 1.33× | 11 | 158 |
| Utah | $46,670 | 1,050 | 0.55× | 8 | 158 |
| Indianalimited | $46,980 | 9,680 | 2.75× | 2 | 155 |
| Washington | $51,160 | 1,750 | 0.45× | 9 | 141 |
| Minnesota | $49,770 | 6,130 | 1.89× | 6 | 119 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,860 | 8,890 | 1.33× | 13 | 108 |
| Nebraskamoderate | $48,690 | 1,320 | 1.17× | 3 | 89 |
| Michigan | $46,120 | 22,060 | 4.55× | 10 | 75 |
| Missouri | $48,310 | 3,240 | 1.00× | 7 | 68 |
| Oregonmoderate | $53,680 | 1,180 | 0.55× | 4 | 66 |
| Louisianamoderate | $40,870 | 760 | 0.36× | 4 | 63 |
| Arkansasmoderate | $45,580 | 3,020 | 2.11× | 4 | 61 |
| Illinois | $48,990 | 8,060 | 1.20× | 7 | 60 |
| Idahomoderate | $39,580 | 720 | 0.77× | 3 | 59 |
| Nevadamoderate | $47,690 | 580 | 0.34× | 3 | 52 |
| Wyomingmoderate | $46,890 | 60 | 0.19× | 4 | 49 |
| Iowamoderate | $48,240 | 2,030 | 1.18× | 4 | 42 |
| New Mexicolimited | $39,430 | 220 | 0.23× | 2 | 37 |
| South Dakotamoderate | $46,060 | 490 | 0.97× | 3 | 35 |
| Mainemoderate | $51,820 | 180 | 0.25× | 3 | 27 |
| Ohio | $45,230 | 13,350 | 2.18× | 6 | 27 |
| New Yorkmoderate | $46,930 | 3,340 | 0.31× | 3 | 26 |
| Arizonalimited | $46,610 | 1,100 | 0.31× | 2 | 22 |
| Montanamoderate | $48,490 | 130 | 0.23× | 3 | 15 |
| North Dakotalimited | $48,400 | 230 | 0.49× | 1 | 8 |
| Alabamalimited | $43,830 | 6,000 | 2.58× | 1 | 7 |
| New Jerseylimited | $45,680 | 1,950 | 0.41× | 1 | 5 |
| New Hampshirelimited | $48,110 | 600 | 0.80× | 1 | 4 |
| Floridalimited | $39,440 | 2,740 | 0.25× | 1 | 3 |
| Massachusettslimited | $45,760 | 2,590 | 0.65× | 1 | 3 |
| West Virginialimited | $43,070 | 290 | 0.38× | 1 | 3 |
| Marylandlimited | $47,320 | 270 | 0.09× | 1 | 1 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Measure completed workpieces to verify conformance to specifications, using micrometers, gauges, calipers, templates, or rulers.
- Examine completed workpieces for defects, such as chipped edges or marred surfaces and sort defective pieces according to types of flaws.
- Read work orders or production schedules to determine specifications, such as materials to be used, locations of cutting lines, or dimensions and tolerances.
- Start machines, monitor their operations, and record operational data.
- Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.
- Test and adjust machine speeds or actions, according to product specifications, using gauges and hand tools.
- Load workpieces, plastic material, or chemical solutions into machines.
- Turn controls to set cutting speeds, feed rates, or table angles for specified operations.
Skills
- Monitoring3.0
- Active Listening3.0
- Critical Thinking3.0
- Speaking3.0
- Active Learning2.8
- Reading Comprehension2.8
- Writing2.5
- Learning Strategies2.0
Knowledge areas
- Production and Processing3.3
- Mechanical3.0
- English Language3.0
- Mathematics2.4
- Engineering and Technology2.4
- Education and Training2.3
Abilities
- Near Vision3.8
- Arm-Hand Steadiness3.8
- Control Precision3.8
- Manual Dexterity3.3
- Information Ordering3.3
- Reaction Time3.3
Core activities
- Handling and Moving Objects3.9
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems3.9
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events3.8
- Controlling Machines and Processes3.8
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials3.6
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings3.5
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Cutting
Job zone 2 of 5 · SVP Below 6.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 2 majors mapped to Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic2 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 48.0501Machine Tool Technology/Machinist
- 48.0506Sheet Metal Technology/Sheetworking
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Cutting?+
High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Machine Tool Technology/Machinist, which awarded 3,489 degrees in 2024-25, 89.4% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Cutting?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Precision Metal Working. Together they graduate about 3,904 people a year.
How much do cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic earn?+
The median is $46,330 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $35,760 at the 10th percentile to $65,510 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic growing?+
BLS projects a -12.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 14,400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
238 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 2 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Saw Operator, Press Operator, Setup Operator, Machine Operator among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 51-4031.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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