BLS metro-level wage data places Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic pay in Athens-Clarke County, GA at a median of $62,600 per year ($30.10/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $47,180, Athens-Clarke County pays +33% above, signaling either concentrated employer demand, a cost-of-living premium, or both. Approximately 170 multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastics are employed across the Athens-Clarke County MSA in SOC 51-4081.

The Athens-Clarke County pay distribution spans from $40,990 at the 10th percentile to $65,660 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 $47,070 and the 75th at $62,600, so half of Athens-Clarke County-based multiple machine tool 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 Athens-Clarke County, GA 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 GA data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.