Salary guide, May 2025
Die Setter (Stamping) pay, United States
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 Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in the United States was $46,330 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $38,870 and $55,410.
Also searched as: Press Setup Technician, Die Setter / Press Operator, Stamping Press Operator. These titles share this page because BLS reports them under one occupation.
Broader occupation · SOC 51-4031 Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
The Die Setter (Stamping) title maps to the published occupation. BLS does not separate this process, credential, shift or plant-specific title from other work in the occupation.
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $35,760 | $38,870 | $46,330 | $55,410 | $65,510 |
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $17.19 | $18.69 | $22.27 | $26.64 | $31.50 |
BLS estimated 171,200 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 51-4031 Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, U.S.. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.
How does pay compare in the target metros?
| Metro | Median | 25th to 75th | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $39,440 | $36,130 to $45,880 | 610 | 0.2 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $43,030 | $38,150 to $47,250 | 500 | 0.32 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $40,800 | $36,580 to $46,560 | 440 | 0.28 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $40,620 | $37,330 to $46,700 | 270 | 0.33 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $47,360 | $40,620 to $55,470 | 2,400 | 0.23 |
| Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $47,360 | $40,620 to $55,470 | 2,400 | 0.23 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $43,950 | $37,480 to $47,610 | 4,440 | 1 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $50,770 | $43,610 to $61,400 | 6,320 | 1.27 |
Rank every metro for Die Setter (Stamping)
What should you know about pay by manufacturing industry, United States?
Same BLS occupation, national estimates for each manufacturing industry (NAICS) BLS publishes, May 2025. Industry names are BLS labels. Nested NAICS rows overlap; they are not independent samples and must not be added together. Identical source rows repeated at different publication levels appear once.
- Paper Manufacturing (NAICS 322000)$51,150
- Food Manufacturing (NAICS 311000)$50,580
- Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (NAICS 337000)$48,000
- Transportation Equipment Manufacturing (NAICS 336000)$47,100
- Primary Metal Manufacturing (NAICS 331000)$47,010
- Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing (NAICS 327000)$46,910
- Machinery Manufacturing (NAICS 333000)$46,760
- Printing and Related Support Activities (NAICS 323000)$46,720
- Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (NAICS 332000)$46,670
- Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing (NAICS 335000)$46,550
- Miscellaneous Manufacturing (NAICS 339000)$43,820
- Wood Product Manufacturing (NAICS 321000)$43,710
- Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing (NAICS 326000)$43,650
- Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing (NAICS 334000)$42,450
- Chemical Manufacturing (NAICS 325000)$42,240
Bars compare up to 15 non-overlapping 3-digit manufacturing subsectors with exact annual medians. More detailed scopes remain in the table, identified by code and publication level.
| NAICS / scope | Industry | Employment | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31-33 · sector | Manufacturing | 150,750 | $39,150 | $46,530 | $56,350 |
| 332000 · 3-digit | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 56,060 | $39,490 | $46,670 | $55,810 |
| 336000 · 3-digit | Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 37,460 | $39,330 | $47,100 | $66,130 |
| 336300 · 4-digit | Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing | 27,220 | $38,700 | $45,350 | $57,350 |
| 3320A1 · 4-digit | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) | 26,710 | $38,980 | $46,140 | $53,380 |
| 3320A2 · 4-digit | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) | 22,210 | $40,430 | $47,340 | $57,590 |
| 333000 · 3-digit | Machinery Manufacturing | 14,890 | $40,500 | $46,760 | $54,480 |
| 326000 · 3-digit | Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing | 13,870 | $36,940 | $43,650 | $50,790 |
| 326100 · 4-digit | Plastics Product Manufacturing | 12,850 | $36,860 | $43,650 | $50,940 |
| 331000 · 3-digit | Primary Metal Manufacturing | 11,880 | $39,150 | $47,010 | $54,900 |
| 3330A1 · 4-digit | Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) | 9,980 | $41,580 | $47,210 | $55,270 |
| 332700 · 4-digit | Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 6,300 | $39,870 | $46,710 | $55,790 |
| 339000 · 3-digit | Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 5,890 | $38,280 | $43,820 | $50,340 |
| 339900 · 4-digit | Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 5,270 | $38,280 | $43,230 | $50,340 |
| 336100 · 4-digit | Motor Vehicle Manufacturing | 5,010 | $65,630 | $66,280 | $78,020 |
| 331300 · 4-digit | Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing | 3,750 | $38,910 | $46,300 | $50,940 |
| 331200 · 4-digit | Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel | 3,640 | $41,910 | $47,890 | $57,510 |
| 333500 · 4-digit | Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing | 3,400 | $38,340 | $44,550 | $50,780 |
| 332710 · 5-digit | Machine Shops | 3,220 | $39,850 | $47,220 | $56,160 |
| 332720 · 5-digit | Turned Product and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 3,070 | $39,870 | $46,470 | $54,240 |
| 337000 · 3-digit | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing | 3,010 | $39,560 | $48,000 | $59,350 |
| 3370A1 · 4-digit | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only) | 2,900 | $39,820 | $48,000 | $59,620 |
| 335000 · 3-digit | Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing | 2,760 | $40,030 | $46,550 | $54,760 |
| 336200 · 4-digit | Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing | 2,290 | $40,420 | $46,220 | $49,800 |
| 336400 · 4-digit | Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | 2,160 | $42,380 | $48,160 | $61,090 |
| 331100 · 4-digit | Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing | 1,700 | $37,300 | $47,220 | $55,510 |
| 331400 · 4-digit | Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing | 1,510 | $39,190 | $50,160 | $60,640 |
| 331500 · 4-digit | Foundries | 1,290 | $38,320 | $43,970 | $49,390 |
| 334000 · 3-digit | Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing | 1,280 | $37,130 | $42,450 | $50,480 |
| 326200 · 4-digit | Rubber Product Manufacturing | 1,010 | $37,600 | $43,380 | $50,230 |
| 335200 · 4-digit | Household Appliance Manufacturing | 980 | $41,060 | $47,000 | $56,650 |
| 322000 · 3-digit | Paper Manufacturing | 960 | $45,540 | $51,150 | $57,350 |
| 322200 · 4-digit | Converted Paper Product Manufacturing | 940 | $45,540 | $51,150 | $57,300 |
| 323000 · 3-digit | Printing and Related Support Activities | 930 | $44,030 | $46,720 | $52,090 |
| 323100 · 4-digit | Printing and Related Support Activities | 930 | $44,030 | $46,720 | $52,090 |
| 335900 · 4-digit | Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing | 860 | $40,170 | $47,480 | $54,760 |
| 332800 · 4-digit | Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities | 850 | $40,450 | $47,790 | $57,620 |
| 333300 · 4-digit | Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing | 760 | $40,610 | $48,050 | $57,210 |
| 333600 · 4-digit | Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing | 750 | $38,440 | $45,040 | $47,480 |
| 321000 · 3-digit | Wood Product Manufacturing | 710 | $37,090 | $43,710 | $52,670 |
| 327000 · 3-digit | Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 690 | $42,630 | $46,910 | $49,160 |
| 334400 · 4-digit | Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing | 680 | $35,730 | $39,400 | $46,300 |
| 335300 · 4-digit | Electrical Equipment Manufacturing | 680 | $40,110 | $45,670 | $50,200 |
| 339100 · 4-digit | Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing | 630 | $40,160 | $45,790 | $49,960 |
| 321900 · 4-digit | Other Wood Product Manufacturing | 520 | $34,440 | $45,240 | $52,480 |
| 334500 · 4-digit | Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing | 370 | $39,960 | $47,060 | $51,060 |
| 336900 · 4-digit | Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 340 | $41,850 | $45,380 | $53,190 |
| 336600 · 4-digit | Ship and Boat Building | 320 | $46,340 | $51,840 | $59,140 |
| 335100 · 4-digit | Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing | 240 | $36,460 | $40,580 | $46,710 |
| 339910 · 5-digit | Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing | 200 | $39,990 | $46,280 | $46,900 |
| 321200 · 4-digit | Veneer, Plywood, and Engineered Wood Product Manufacturing | 190 | $38,970 | $41,980 | $58,050 |
| 325000 · 3-digit | Chemical Manufacturing | 190 | $37,690 | $42,240 | $48,590 |
| 3250A1 · 4-digit | Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) | 190 | $37,690 | $42,240 | $48,590 |
| 311000 · 3-digit | Food Manufacturing | 130 | $48,190 | $50,580 | $52,260 |
| 336500 · 4-digit | Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing | 110 | $39,790 | $47,840 | $54,160 |
| 337900 · 4-digit | Other Furniture Related Product Manufacturing | 110 | $32,240 | $39,350 | $48,020 |
| 334100 · 4-digit | Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing | 90 | $47,660 | $56,220 | $63,420 |
| 334600 · 4-digit | Manufacturing and Reproducing Magnetic and Optical Media | 70 | $37,130 | $37,130 | $37,910 |
| 334200 · 4-digit | Communications Equipment Manufacturing | 60 | $40,600 | $45,210 | $55,310 |
| 311900 · 4-digit | Other Food Manufacturing | 50 | $48,190 | $48,190 | $48,190 |
| 314000 · 3-digit | Textile Product Mills | 40 | $35,060 | $37,060 | $39,920 |
| 314900 · 4-digit | Other Textile Product Mills | 40 | $35,060 | $36,740 | $39,320 |
What should you know about manufacturing pay mix?
For Die Setter (Stamping), write the straight-time rate separately from shift coverage and extra hours. OEWS measures straight-time gross wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. It includes base rate, guaranteed pay, commissions and production bonuses. It excludes overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits.
An attendance bonus is not a production bonus; confirm its purpose and treatment rather than adding every bonus to the BLS figure. Skills-based pay steps affect the base rate when they are part of straight-time pay; BLS does not publish a separate rate for each plant's skill grade. Ask whether a tool allowance is expense reimbursement or wage pay. OEWS does not publish a separate tool-allowance component. Keep these items separate in the offer so the published wage is not mistaken for the whole package.
Pay mix here means how published medians for this one BLS occupation differ across manufacturing industries and against the all-industry median. It does not split pay into base, incentive or overtime. BLS wages are straight-time gross pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials and nonproduction bonuses.
What should you know about two BLS releases?
| Release period | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | $38,400 | $45,590 | $52,150 |
| May 2025 | $38,870 | $46,330 | $55,410 |
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.
What should you know about supervisory and worker occupations?
BLS publishes these as separate occupations. Pay for one is not a pay step for the other.
- Supervisor occupation: Production Supervisor pay (SOC 51-1011)
Recruiter's read. Qualitative, not BLS data.
What should you know about sensors, light curtains and press safety?
Presses rely on safety systems. We ask how the candidate checks light curtains, safety blocks and brake monitors, and what they do if a system faults. Someone who treats these as optional is a risk to the whole shop.
What should you know about questions?
Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
What is the median pay for a Die Setter (Stamping)?
The median annual wage for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in the United States was $46,330 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $38,870 and $55,410. This is the broader occupation BLS publishes, not a figure for this exact title.
What does the 10th percentile mean here?
10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than $35,760. 90% earned less than $65,510.
Does this include overtime or bonuses?
Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
Is this the pay for a Die Setter (Stamping) at a plant?
The Die Setter (Stamping) title maps to the published occupation. BLS does not separate this process, credential, shift or plant-specific title from other work in the occupation. These are occupation estimates across all industries, not an offer for a particular manufacturing title.
How many people work in this occupation?
BLS estimated 171,200 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
What should you know about related?
Production Welder (MIG) pay TIG Welder pay Code Welder (ASME / Pressure Vessel) pay Robotic Welding Technician pay Press Brake Operator pay Die Setter (Stamping) pay ranked across all metros Open jobs Die Setter (Stamping) recruiting Check an offer for this role
What does this data mean for your opening?
Die Setters specializing in stamping operations perform critical setup work on heavy machinery. This role falls under the SOC 51-4031 occupation code. For Die Setter (Stamping) in the United States, releases are separate survey estimates. The May 2025 median is $46,330; the May 2024 median is $45,590. Their arithmetic difference is $740.
They are not the same workers' raises and do not establish a pay trend or its cause. The middle band width is $16,540, representing the typical variation for this occupation. Manufacturing Headhunters notes that these figures do not account for the higher pay often associated with high-tonnage or complex progressive die set-ups.
Metro data shows that pay levels correlate with local industrial activity. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn displays a median of $50,460 and a high location quotient of 5.56. These differences in pay reflect the regional demand for stamping experts. The BLS data for this code encompasses a wide variety of punch and press setters, so it should be interpreted as a general benchmark for the broad field.
National industry statistics provide a look at sector-specific pay. Motor Vehicle Manufacturing leads with a median of $66,280. Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing shows $56,220, while Ship and Boat Building sits at $51,840. For Die Setter (Stamping) in the United States, percentiles describe the wage distribution of the mapped occupation. The published middle interval is $38,870 to $55,410 annually. They do not assign pay to plant size, seniority, credentials or job complexity. Assess duties and candidate requirements separately; these rows do not measure a premium for them. These national industry rows are not intended to be used as local market data. The BLS reports reflect broad occupational averages rather than precise plant-level offer rates.
Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?
Are the Detroit and Chicago figures local or national?
The Detroit and Chicago figures are local metro area averages. The industrial sector figures provided separately are national averages.
Why does the same SOC code have varying duties?
The SOC code 51-4031 is broad and covers many types of press operations. Individual plant duties vary based on the specific press technology and complexity.
What happens if a piece of data is missing?
If data is missing or topcoded, we provide only the information available. We do not attempt to estimate or invent missing figures.
Related recruiting or pay page · Related wage comparison 1 · Data methodology · Related wage comparison 3 · Related wage comparison 4