Occupation · SOC 51-9192

Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders: pay and where the jobs are

What cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.

BLS May 2025 data · methodology

National pay, May 2025

$43,530 median annual wage

Mean (average) annual wage
$44,600
Median hourly wage
$20.93
Mean hourly wage
$21.44
Employment
14,760

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-9192.

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See where your pay falls among cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

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How much do cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders make?

The median annual wage for cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders was $43,530 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $33,790 and the highest-paid 10% more than $58,570. As an hourly rate, the median is $20.93. About 14,760 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Maine ($64,610), Wisconsin ($54,290) and Oregon ($49,130). Maine also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.

Pay ladder

What each step of the pay range for cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.

Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders: pay at each percentile
StepAnnualHourlyMonthly grossMonthly after federal tax & FICA
10th percentile$33,790$16.25$2,816$2,444
25th percentile$37,310$17.94$3,109$2,680
Median$43,530$20.93$3,628$3,096
75th percentile$49,320$23.71$4,110$3,484
90th percentile$58,570$28.16$4,881$4,103

Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders: pay by state

40 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.

1

Maine

$52,641 take-home in national prices

2

Wisconsin

$46,776 take-home in national prices

3

North Dakota

$46,022 take-home in national prices

Where a median cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tender paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.

Annual wages by state, May 2025, with after-tax and price-adjusted estimates
StateEmploymentMedian10th pct.90th pct.Median after tax*In national prices†
Maine40$64,610$40,340$78,380$51,088$52,641
Wisconsin310$54,290$42,820$65,360$44,014$46,776
Oregon70$49,130$37,770$65,470$38,224$36,981
North Dakota60$48,240$42,940$51,600$40,941$46,022
Pennsylvania370$48,000$36,400$62,930$39,241$40,217
New Hampshire120$47,510$36,740$60,370$40,354$38,741
Iowa430$46,970$39,070$58,570$38,787$44,196
New York710$46,290$34,410$62,160$37,240$34,507
Nebraska400$45,690$36,120$59,210$37,693$41,833
Washington180$45,600$39,700$56,500$38,187$35,685
Ohio1,010$45,470$35,900$62,830$37,908$40,861
Virginia140$45,330$33,830$73,870$36,810$36,408
California2,450$45,150$37,970$58,490$37,082$33,492
South Dakota60$44,770$33,830$46,820$38,153$43,069
Michigan820$44,400$34,280$54,230$36,219$37,643
Indiana830$43,820$35,680$55,320$36,126$38,708
Illinois70$43,740$40,890$46,470$35,305$35,320
New Jersey590$43,600$36,860$61,800$35,983$33,071
Massachusetts380$43,210$37,190$56,480$34,760$32,868
Minnesota70$42,600$32,950$54,820$34,761$35,247
Tennessee120$41,110$32,350$48,610$35,212$38,328
Oklahoma450$40,950$34,330$55,880$33,786$38,462
Missouri200$40,510$32,210$50,460$33,763$37,177
Utah120$39,970$32,240$50,300$33,200$33,582
South Carolina320$39,240$31,190$48,950$33,227$35,442
Connecticut170$39,140$35,360$48,610$32,147$31,027
Georgia600$38,430$29,700$47,130$31,889$33,117
Kansas50$38,340$36,920$47,670$31,647$35,136
North Carolina260$38,340$31,240$60,910$31,965$33,888
Arizona370$37,900$36,400$53,690$32,079$31,863
Arkansas90$37,490$30,580$54,870$31,404$36,122
Texas1,380$37,040$30,180$57,500$31,942$32,910
Florida170$36,830$31,610$46,020$31,773$30,724
Nevada110$36,490$30,770$60,830$31,500$31,506
Kentucky310$35,850$31,200$47,630$29,848$33,106
New Mexico60$35,600$34,390$43,370$30,221$32,774
Alabama140$35,090$26,620$104,180$28,963$32,608
Mississippi90$34,280$32,420$49,200$29,085$33,449
IdahoNot published$33,660$31,560$48,620$28,550$29,897
Puerto Rico310$22,620$21,840$35,160——

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-9192. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).

Sources

  1. OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  2. OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.