---

Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in New Mexico

Want to work as a Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in New Mexico? Here’s what you need to know. Set up, operate, or tend machines to crush, grind, or polish materials, such as coal, glass, grain, stone, food, or rubber.

What do Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Make in New Mexico?

For a crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders working in New Mexico, wages run about $43,240 per year (or about $20.79/hour).Annual wages span from $36,560 at the 10th percentile to $58,030 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$36,560	$17.58
25th percentile	$38,480	$18.50
Median (50th)	$43,240	$20.79
75th percentile	$58,000	$27.88
90th percentile	$58,030	$27.90

The job concentration index in New Mexico relative to the national average — is 0.64, meaning fewer crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders per worker than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders earn a median of $39,452 per year ($18.97/hour), above the New Mexico median.

Employment Outlook

Nationally, total employment in this occupation is 215,085 crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders nationwide. In New Mexico alone, approximately 100 people work in this role. That’s below the typical state, which employs around 480 crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders.

Top States for Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Employment

View the states that employ the most crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders work.

State	Number Employed
California	2,510
Iowa	1,970
Tennessee	1,460
Texas	1,400
Ohio	1,300
Indiana	1,250
Pennsylvania	1,120
New York	1,050
Georgia	970
Michigan	880
Colorado	850
Massachusetts	730
Missouri	710
North Carolina	700
Arkansas	640
Virginia	640
Florida	620
Alabama	600
Minnesota	580
Oregon	520

Highest-Paying States for Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

The highest-paying states for crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders.

State	Annual Median Salary
Wyoming	$76,350
Alaska	$66,570
Nevada	$63,960
Iowa	$60,210
Minnesota	$58,150
West Virginia	$54,310
Vermont	$53,760
New York	$53,330
Maine	$52,880
Connecticut	$52,860

Skills

The most important crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Key knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

The abilities that matter most for crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Day-to-day, crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders typically:

• Observe operation of equipment to ensure continuity of flow, safety, and efficient operation, and to detect malfunctions.
• Clean, adjust, and maintain equipment, using hand tools.
• Tend accessory equipment, such as pumps and conveyors, to move materials or ingredients through production processes.
• Move controls to start, stop, or adjust machinery and equipment that crushes, grinds, polishes, or blends materials.
• Notify supervisors of needed repairs.
• Weigh or measure materials, ingredients, or products at specified intervals to ensure conformance to requirements.
• Record data from operations, testing, and production on specified forms.
• Reject defective products and readjust equipment to eliminate problems.
• Inspect chains, belts, or scrolls for signs of wear.
• Clean work areas.
• Examine materials, ingredients, or products, visually or with hands, to ensure conformance to established standards.
• Read work orders to determine production specifications and information.

Work Activities

• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Getting Information
• Controlling Machines and Processes
• Handling and Moving Objects
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Documenting/Recording Information
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
• Performing General Physical Activities
• Processing Information

Tools & Technology

Common tools and software used in this occupation include: Hot technologies: Microsoft Excel

Related Careers

Related occupations to crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders include:

• Industrial Machinery Mechanics
• Maintenance Workers, Machinery
• Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Also Known As

Abrasive Grinder, Air Bag Buffer, Air Chipper, Automatic Blocker, Automatic Buffer, Automatic Corn Grinder Operator, Automatic Grinding Machine Operator, Automatic Pattern Edger, Back Grinder, Ball Truing Machine Operator, Bark Grinder, Barytes Grinder, Beater Engineer, Bed Rubber, Beveler.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 51-9021.00