SOC 51-7042 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing — Little Rock
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR · 2 metro areas compared
Median pay for this occupation in Little Rock, AR is $35,350 a year, trailing the national median of $43,380 by 18.5%.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to decline
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- -1.8%
- Openings per year
- 6,400
- 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 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR.
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
Median pay for this occupation in Little Rock, AR is $35,350 a year, trailing the national median of $43,380 by 18.5%. Half of workers earn between $34,790 and $44,440. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $26,960 and the ninetieth at $56,700.
The area has 80 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 0.55 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Fort Smith leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $38,100. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 442nd of 513 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $26,960 | −37.9% |
| 25th | $34,790 | −19.8% |
| Median (50th) | $35,350 | −18.5% |
| 75th | $44,440 | +2.4% |
| 90th | $56,700 | +30.7% |
| Mean | $39,490 | −9.0% |
Other metro areas in Arkansas
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fort Smith | $38,100 | 40 | |
| 2 | Fayetteville | $33,860 | 80 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Little Rock run 10.6% below the national average, so the median of $35,350 goes as far as $39,541 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 8.8% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$35,350as reported by BLSLocal price level
89.4US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$39,541US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $35,350 a year, 18.5% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $26,960 to $56,700 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 80 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Fort Smith, at $38,100.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing in Little Rock, AR?
The median annual wage is $35,350, or $17.00 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 $43,380, so pay in Little Rock, AR is 18.5% 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 Little Rock, AR earns more than $56,700 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $26,960 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 Fort Smith, at $38,100 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 80 jobs in this occupation in Little Rock, AR. 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.
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