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Boston Career Explorer

Production

Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Set up, operate, or tend machines to crush, grind, or polish materials, such as coal, glass, grain, stone, food, or rubber.

Also called: Beveler Operator, Cullet Trucker, Grinder, Grinder Operator, Machine Operator, Machine Tender

Median pay in Greater Boston
$51,750
$24.88/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
240
Massachusetts 2024–2034
−1.4%
70 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Moderate-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$45,410$46,380$51,750$60,460$65,290

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • 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.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure16 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 15
  • Language-model AIOE 13
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 19

Observed AI use today: Some (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is lower, and observed AI use is only some. AI tools may help with watching equipment and spotting problems. They are far less likely to do the hands-on work of cleaning, adjusting, and repairing machines. Federal projections say Massachusetts employment may shrink a little (-1.4%) because machines are doing more and linking together, so each worker can produce more.

Likely to change

  • Monitoring equipment for flow and malfunctions
  • Adjusting machine settings and controls

Still relies on people

  • Cleaning and fixing machines with hand tools
  • Tending conveyors and pumps, and reporting repairs

What federal projections say

“Productivity change - share decreases as machines are becoming capable of more functionalities and are more integrated with each other allowing workers to produce more.”
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, factors affecting this job (U.S.)

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

    You already watch equipment, do upkeep, and report repairs. This job adds diagnosing and fixing machines, with higher pay ($59,670) and 5.2% projected growth.

    Pay difference
    +$7,920 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +5.2%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists

    Hand tool skills and inspecting moving parts carry over. This role offers higher pay ($75,770) and 5.1% projected growth, with long-term on-the-job training.

    Pay difference
    +$24,020 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +5.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

    You already run production machines and follow safety steps. This job uses similar machine skills, pays $54,560, and is projected to grow 3.4%.

    Pay difference
    +$2,810 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +3.4%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

Talk to a career coach