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Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand in California

Considering working as a Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand in California? Here’s what the data says. Grind, sand, or polish, using hand tools or hand-held power tools, a variety of metal, wood, stone, clay, plastic, or glass objects. Includes chippers, buffers, and finishers.

What do Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand Make in California?

The grinding and polishing workers, hand working in California, the typical annual salary is $43,170 per year (or about $20.76/hour).Annual wages span from $36,430 at the 10th percentile to $58,650 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$36,430	$17.52
25th percentile	$38,160	$18.35
Median (50th)	$43,170	$20.76
75th percentile	$48,470	$23.30
90th percentile	$58,650	$28.20

The location quotient — a measure of how concentrated this occupation is in California compared to the national average — is 1.67, indicating that grinding and polishing workers, hand are more concentrated here than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, grinding and polishing workers, hand earn a median of $65,857 per year ($31.66/hour), lower than the California median.

Employment Outlook

Nationally, total employment in this occupation is 425,785 grinding and polishing workers, hand nationwide. In California alone, around 2,310 people work in this role. That’s higher than the typical state, which employs around 250 grinding and polishing workers, hand.

Top California Metros for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand

The largest metro-area employers of grinding and polishing workers, hand in California.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	1,090	$42,960
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	260	$39,900
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	180	$42,170
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	170	$50,560
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	120	$43,170
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	110	$50,850
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	80	$38,440
Modesto, CA	50	$40,840
Stockton-Lodi, CA	50	$41,290

Top States for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand Employment

These states have the highest employment of grinding and polishing workers, hand work.

State	Number Employed
California	2,310
Texas	780
Indiana	710
Florida	610
New York	570
Ohio	490
Michigan	470
Virginia	470
North Carolina	440
Washington	370
New Jersey	340
Georgia	320
Pennsylvania	290
South Carolina	280
Massachusetts	250
Arizona	250
Oklahoma	240
Iowa	240
Missouri	240
Wisconsin	200

Highest-Paying States for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand

Where grinding and polishing workers, hand earn the most: grinding and polishing workers, hand.

State	Annual Median Salary
Minnesota	$50,550
Nevada	$50,130
Rhode Island	$49,050
Connecticut	$47,460
Missouri	$47,070
Iowa	$46,960
Oregon	$46,650
New Hampshire	$46,420
Washington	$46,250
New York	$45,760

Skills

The most important grinding and polishing workers, hand skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

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

Abilities

Key abilities for grinding and polishing workers, hand, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Day-to-day, grinding and polishing workers, hand typically:

• Verify quality of finished workpieces by inspecting them, comparing them to templates, measuring their dimensions, or testing them in working machinery.
• Grind, sand, clean, or polish objects or parts to correct defects or to prepare surfaces for further finishing, using hand tools and power tools.
• Measure and mark equipment, objects, or parts to ensure grinding and polishing standards are met.
• Trim, scrape, or deburr objects or parts, using chisels, scrapers, and other hand tools and equipment.
• Mark defects, such as knotholes, cracks, and splits, for repair.
• Study blueprints or layouts to determine how to lay out workpieces or saw out templates.
• Move controls to adjust, start, or stop equipment during grinding and polishing processes.
• Load and adjust workpieces onto equipment or work tables, using hand tools.
• Repair and maintain equipment, objects, or parts, using hand tools.
• Select files or other abrasives, according to materials, sizes and shapes of workpieces, amount of stock to be removed, finishes specified, and steps in finishing processes.
• File grooved, contoured, and irregular surfaces of metal objects, such as metalworking dies and machine parts, to conform to templates, other parts, layouts, or blueprint specifications.
• Sharpen abrasive grinding tools, using machines and hand tools.

Work Activities

• Performing General Physical Activities
• Handling and Moving Objects
• Controlling Machines and Processes
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Thinking Creatively
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment
• Getting Information
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment

Tools & Technology

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

Related Careers

Other careers like grinding and polishing workers, hand include:

• Industrial Machinery Mechanics
• Maintenance Workers, Machinery
• Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• 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

Also Known As

Aircraft Skin Burnisher, Balance Wheel Arm Burnisher, Balance Wheel Hand Filer, Barrel Finisher, Beveler, Bit Shaver, Buffer, Burrer, Cabinet Finisher, Casting Finisher, Center Hole Reamer, Chipper, Deburr Finisher, Deburr Hand, Deburr Operator.

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: 51-9022.00