SalaryExplorer

SOC 51-7041 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood — Jefferson City

Jefferson City, MO · 3 metro areas compared

$37,980 /year
$18.26per hour
70jobs in area
−11.2%vs US median

The median wage for Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood in Jefferson City, MO is $37,980 per year, 11.2% below the national median of $42,770.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $42,770MEDIAN$37,98075TH$39,86090TH$44,980

How pay has moved

$40,290$26,4302019202020242025$37,980
$28,740 in 2019 to $37,980 in 2025, +32.2% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to decline

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
-0.6%
Openings per year
4,800
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Jefferson City, MO.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage for Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood in Jefferson City, MO is $37,980 per year, 11.2% below the national median of $42,770. Pay ranges from under $37,980 at the tenth percentile to more than $44,980 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $37,980 to $39,860.

The area has 70 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.8 of every thousand jobs. Kansas City leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $39,200. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 239th of 299 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Jefferson City, MO · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$37,980−11.2%
25th$37,980−11.2%
Median (50th)$37,980−11.2%
75th$39,860−6.8%
90th$44,980+5.2%
Mean$39,390−7.9%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Missouri

Median annual wage for Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Kansas City$39,200120
2St. Louis$38,520130
3Cape Girardeau$37,72040

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Jefferson City run 12.0% below the national average, so the median of $37,980 goes as far as $43,159 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 0.9% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$37,980as reported by BLS

Local price level

88.0US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$43,159US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $37,980 a year, 11.2% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $37,980 to $44,980 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 70 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Kansas City, at $39,200.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood in Jefferson City, MO?

The median annual wage is $37,980, or $18.26 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $42,770, so pay in Jefferson City, MO is 11.2% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Jefferson City, MO earns more than $44,980 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $37,980 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Kansas City, at $39,200 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 70 jobs in this occupation in Jefferson City, MO. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.

Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood Salary in Jefferson City, MO (2025): $37,980 Median | Salary Explorer