The median annual wage for Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is $44,490 (May 2024 BLS OES). The mean (average) is $45,920.
Pay spans roughly $40,030 at the 10th percentile to $58,870 at the 90th, so experience and specialisation move this figure a lot. At the median that is about $21.39 per hour. An estimated 30 people work as grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA.
| Median (annual) | $44,490 |
| Mean (annual) | $45,920 |
| Median (hourly) | $21.39 |
| 10th percentile | $40,030 |
| 90th percentile | $58,870 |
| Employment | 30 |
Updated 2026-07-23.
Source: BLS OES May 2024 — bls.gov/oes. Checked 2026-07-23.