SOC 51-6062 · Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro

Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Salary in Hickory, NC

The average salary for textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders in Hickory, North Carolina is $48,950 a year ($23.53 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $48,640: half of the 270 people in this job in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 24% more than the U.S. average for this job ($39,530).

$48,950average per year

$23.53 / hourMedian $48,640Take-home ≈ $40,067

  • $37K10th
  • $44K25th
  • $49KMedian
  • $55K75th
  • $59K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

270people in this job
+24%vs U.S. average
#1 of 4North Carolina metros
88cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders pay range in Hickory

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $36,920 a year or less, while the top 10% make $59,340 or more. The middle half of textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders in Hickory earn between $44,270 and $55,290.

  • $37K10th
  • $44K25th
  • $49KMedian
  • $55K75th
  • $59K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$48,950$4,079$23.53
Median$48,640$4,053$23.38
Entry level (25th percentile)$44,270$3,689$21.28
Experienced (75th percentile)$55,290$4,608$26.58

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year. Hourly to annual salary.

Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders pay in Hickory vs. North Carolina and the U.S.

Textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders in Hickory earn 15% more than the North Carolina average ($42,510) and 24% more than the U.S. average ($39,530). At the median the gap is +25% against the U.S. median of $38,760.

AreaAverageMedian10th pct.90th pct.Jobs
Hickory$48,950$48,640$36,920$59,340270
North Carolina$42,510$43,460$30,160$55,290840
United States$39,530$38,760$28,650$49,4209,000

State and U.S. rows: BLS statewide and national estimates, May 2025, which include rural areas.

Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders salary after taxes in Hickory

On the average salary of $48,950, a single filer in Hickory takes home about $40,067 a year, or $3,339 a month and $1,541 every two weeks. Taxes take 18% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules).

North Carolina paycheck calculator: try your own salary

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Is Hickory a good place for textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Hickory area are 12% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 88.5), so the average $48,950 buys what about $55,319 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.1 times the median wage of all jobs in Hickory ($45,220). A typical home costs $271,739, or 5.6 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $48,950 is worth in another city

Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders salary in other North Carolina cities

Hickory ranks 1st of 4 North Carolina metro areas for this job, the best-paid in the state.

All Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders salaries in North Carolina

Highest-paying cities for textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders

Hickory, NC pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($48,950).

Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders salary by city

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Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders salary in Hickory: questions

How much do textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders make an hour in Hickory?

$23.53 an hour on average, and $23.39 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders salary in Hickory?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $36,920 a year and the 25th percentile is $44,270, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders take-home pay in Hickory?

About $40,067 a year ($3,339 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $48,950.

Do textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders earn more in Hickory than elsewhere?

The average here is 24% more than the U.S. average for this job ($39,530).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 51-6062; area Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC (25860). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.6%.
  • U.S. and statewide figures: BLS OEWS national and state estimates, May 2025, every employer including rural areas.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules).
  • Job concentration: location quotient 30.44, this job is 30.4 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.

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