The median annual wage for Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC is $48,140 (May 2024 BLS OES). The mean (average) is $47,810.
Pay spans roughly $34,980 at the 10th percentile to $61,470 at the 90th, so experience and specialisation move this figure a lot. At the median that is about $23.15 per hour. An estimated 30 people work as grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC.
| Median (annual) | $48,140 |
| Mean (annual) | $47,810 |
| Median (hourly) | $23.15 |
| 10th percentile | $34,980 |
| 90th percentile | $61,470 |
| Employment | 30 |
Updated 2026-07-23.
Source: BLS OES May 2024 — bls.gov/oes. Checked 2026-07-23.