BLS metro-level wage data places Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing pay in Fargo, ND-MN at a median of $46,530 per year ($22.37/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $43,380, Fargo pays +7% above, signaling either concentrated employer demand, a cost-of-living premium, or both. Approximately 130 woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawings are employed across the Fargo MSA in SOC 51-7042.

The Fargo pay distribution spans from $40,480 at the 10th percentile to $56,060 at the 90th — a 1.4× 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 $44,000 and the 75th at $46,720, so half of Fargo-based woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawings 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 Fargo, ND-MN 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 ND data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.