Manufacturing
HeadhuntersPlant and engineering search
Start a Search

Salary guide, May 2025

CNC Setup Machinist pay in Bowling Green, KY

Manufacturing Headhunters uses the published BLS OEWS figures below. They describe the mapped occupation and area, not an individual offer.

This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.

The median annual wage for Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators in Bowling Green, KY was $56,390 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $49,080 and $59,830.

The Bowling Green, KY median is $5,700 above the national median of $50,690, both from BLS May 2025.

Broader occupation · SOC 51-9161 Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators

The CNC Setup Machinist title maps to the published occupation. BLS does not separate this process, credential, shift or plant-specific title from other work in the occupation.

What should you know about bowling Green, KY?

$56,390
Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators in Bowling Green, KY: median $56,390; published 25th to 75th percentile $49,080 to $59,830.
Annual wage percentiles, Bowling Green, KY
10th25thMedian75th90th
$38,590$49,080$56,390$59,830$61,590
$27.11
Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators in Bowling Green, KY: median $27.11; published 25th to 75th percentile $23.60 to $28.77.
Hourly wage percentiles, Bowling Green, KY
10th25thMedian75th90th
$18.55$23.60$27.11$28.77$29.61

BLS estimated 160 workers employed in this occupation in Bowling Green, KY. Location quotient: 1.84.

What should you know about united States?

$50,690
Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators in U.S.: median $50,690; published 25th to 75th percentile $44,930 to $61,760.
Annual wage percentiles, U.S.
10th25thMedian75th90th
$38,140$44,930$50,690$61,760$73,890
$24.37
Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators in U.S.: median $24.37; published 25th to 75th percentile $21.60 to $29.69.
Hourly wage percentiles, U.S.
10th25thMedian75th90th
$18.34$21.60$24.37$29.69$35.53

What should you know about role pay against all occupations here?

The published CNC Setup Machinist median is $56,390. The all-occupations median in Bowling Green, KY is $45,040. Ratio: 1.25 (role median divided by all-occupations median, same units, BLS May 2025). Location quotient 1.84 measures how concentrated this occupation's employment is here against the nation. It is not a wage index.

What should you know about two BLS releases?

CNC Setup Machinist in Bowling Green, KY, annual wages, May 2024 and May 2025
Release period25thMedian75th
May 2024$47,460$57,830$57,890
May 2025$49,080$56,390$59,830

These are two separate BLS estimates from different survey panels. The workers and employers behind them differ, so the gap is not like-for-like pay for the same workers and is not a growth rate. We show no percentage change.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 51-9161 Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators, Bowling Green, KY. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 51-9161 Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators, U.S.. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.

What should you know about nearby areas?

Nearby areas, CNC Setup Machinist
AreaMedian25th to 75th
Elizabethtown, KY$45,900$38,340 to $59,440
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN$53,660$46,500 to $63,940

Download the Hiring Market Brief (PDF)

The figures are public. Send the role and your contact details to get the file. You can tell us more afterwards.

All roles in Bowling Green, KY · National page · CNC Setup Machinist ranked across metros

Contingency fees · Editorial policy · Recruiting models compared

Start a SearchCall