SalaryExplorer

SOC 51-7042 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing — San Francisco

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA · 10 metro areas compared

$50,970 /year
$24.51per hour
220jobs in area
+17.5%vs US median

The median wage for Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing in San Francisco, CA is $50,970 per year, 17.5% above the national median of $43,380.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $43,38010TH$42,24025TH$46,610MEDIAN$50,97090TH$61,660

How pay has moved

$55,650$27,5702019202020212022202320242025$50,970
$32,250 in 2019 to $50,970 in 2025, +58% 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
-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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.

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 Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing in San Francisco, CA is $50,970 per year, 17.5% above the national median of $43,380. Pay ranges from under $42,240 at the tenth percentile to more than $61,660 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $46,610 to $60,120.

The area has 220 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.1 of every thousand jobs. Within the state, Santa Rosa records the highest median at $47,390. Of the 688 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 568th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$42,240−2.6%
25th$46,610+7.4%
Median (50th)$50,970+17.5%
75th$60,120+38.6%
90th$61,660+42.1%
Mean$52,980+22.1%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in California

Median annual wage for Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Santa Rosa$47,390100
2Chico$46,94030
3Sacramento$46,940280
4San Diego$46,730180
5Redding$46,69060
6Riverside$46,200580
7Los Angeles$45,660850
8Stockton$45,630140
9Oxnard$44,74070
10Yuba City$39,670110

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in San Francisco run 15.6% above the national average, so the median of $50,970 buys what $44,092 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 1.6% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$50,970as reported by BLS

Local price level

115.6US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$44,092US average = 100 · BEA 2024

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

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $50,970 a year, 17.5% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $42,240 to $61,660 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 220 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Santa Rosa, at $47,390.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing in San Francisco, CA?

The median annual wage is $50,970, or $24.51 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 San Francisco, CA is 17.5% higher. 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 San Francisco, CA earns more than $61,660 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $42,240 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 Santa Rosa, at $47,390 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 220 jobs in this occupation in San Francisco, CA. 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.

Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing in San Francisco, CA Earn $50,970 — 17.5% Above the US Median (2025) | Salary Explorer