Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in Massachusetts
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$35,496
after federal, FICA and Massachusetts tax
Tax takes
$8,294
18.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$32,794
Massachusetts costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Massachusetts — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$43,790
Kept after tax
$35,496
Worth in national money
$32,794
State rank
37
of 47 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Massachusetts is among the lower-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $43,790, ranking 37 of 47 states — about 5.97% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Measured against other jobs in Massachusetts, this one sits low: 425 of 485 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Costs eat into it here. Of $43,790, tax leaves $35,496 — and because Massachusetts is dearer than average, that stretches only as far as $32,794 would nationally. Averages run higher here, $44,920, since top earners drag the number up.
- Massachusetts ranks 37 of 47 for cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders, with a median of $43,790 — about 5.97% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders occupies position 425 of 485 in Massachusetts's occupational wage distribution, in the bottom quartile. National ranking and local ranking answer different questions and frequently disagree; this is the one a resident experiences.
- After tax, $35,496 remains from the Massachusetts median of $43,790 for this occupation. Applying the state's above-average price parity yields $32,794 in national-average terms — the quantity relevant to a relocation decision, and the one absent from essentially every published wage comparison. Mean pay of $44,920 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $35,360 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $43,790 |
| Top tenth earn over | $58,430 |
| This salary | $43,790 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Massachusetts | $35,496 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $37,365 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$5,657 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $41,463 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$6,842 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 108 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Massachusetts earn less than $43,790. The published range is $35,360 up to $58,430, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Massachusetts the take-home figure of $35,496, from $43,790, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 425 of 485 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Massachusetts, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $32,794, the adjusted value of that $43,790 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 425 of 485 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders in Massachusetts the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $35,360 to $58,430. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Massachusetts is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $35,496 from $43,790. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 425 of 485 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Massachusetts, so $32,794 — the adjusted value of that $43,790 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 425 of 485 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $35,360 at the tenth percentile, $58,430 at the ninetieth.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
The number and the value are different things. Massachusetts costs more than the national average, so this take-home stretches like $32,794 rather than its face figure.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Massachusetts then takes its own share, leaving $35,496.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 47 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($35,360 to $58,430) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Massachusetts rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Massachusetts's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $32,794 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $35,496 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Massachusetts income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 47 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.