BLS metro-level wage data places Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic pay in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY at a median of $47,430 per year ($22.80/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $48,750, Buffalo-Cheektowaga pays 3% below, which typically tracks with a lower local cost of living or smaller specialized-employer cluster. Approximately 30 heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics are employed across the Buffalo-Cheektowaga MSA in SOC 51-4191.

The Buffalo-Cheektowaga pay distribution spans from $37,750 at the 10th percentile to $62,180 at the 90th — a 1.6× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $39,920 and the 75th at $56,160, so half of Buffalo-Cheektowaga-based heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live — which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide NY data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.