The median annual wage for Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC is $38,940 (May 2024 BLS OES). The mean (average) is $41,640.
Pay spans roughly $30,490 at the 10th percentile to $58,450 at the 90th, so experience and specialisation move this figure a lot. At the median that is about $18.72 per hour. An estimated 230 people work as cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC.
| Median (annual) | $38,940 |
| Mean (annual) | $41,640 |
| Median (hourly) | $18.72 |
| 10th percentile | $30,490 |
| 90th percentile | $58,450 |
| Employment | 230 |
Updated 2026-07-23.
Source: BLS OES May 2024 — bls.gov/oes. Checked 2026-07-23.