Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Also called: Grinder, Machine Operator, Miller, Preparation Operator (Prep Operator)Set up, operate, or tend machines to crush, grind, or polish materials, such as coal, glass, grain, stone, food, or rubber.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 3 of its 21 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 1.7% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 4.0% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Crushing, grinding, polishing, mixing, and blending workers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 8.4 hires for every 10 job openings in nondurable goods manufacturing, which employs about 35% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.8.4 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $51,920 | $36,190 to $60,040 | 610 |
| Alaska | $68,730 | $39,330 to $79,530 | 60 |
| Arizona | $50,270 | $44,900 to $56,380 | not published |
| Arkansas | $38,910 | $36,830 to $44,860 | 520 |
| California | $45,870 | $40,470 to $54,910 | 2,370 |
| Colorado | $46,950 | $41,660 to $57,230 | 520 |
| Connecticut | $53,130 | $42,570 to $62,130 | 200 |
| Florida | $46,950 | $40,360 to $54,870 | 520 |
| Georgia | $45,920 | $38,660 to $51,670 | 800 |
| Idaho | $51,500 | $46,920 to $60,790 | 370 |
| Illinois | $48,290 | $40,130 to $55,120 | 710 |
| Indiana | $51,150 | $41,100 to $62,860 | 920 |
| Iowa | $62,590 | $49,880 to $63,670 | 1,420 |
| Kansas | $48,570 | $39,750 to $62,360 | 470 |
| Kentucky | $42,520 | $36,030 to $50,860 | 200 |
| Louisiana | $44,900 | $36,680 to $59,320 | 200 |
| Maine | $54,080 | $42,050 to $81,700 | 150 |
| Maryland | $42,280 | $37,870 to $48,560 | 140 |
| Massachusetts | $50,110 | $46,380 to $59,660 | 370 |
| Michigan | $46,500 | $39,080 to $57,420 | 670 |
| Minnesota | $56,550 | $49,280 to $72,090 | 660 |
| Mississippi | $37,420 | $33,960 to $45,090 | 170 |
| Missouri | $48,840 | $44,500 to $60,300 | 750 |
| Montana | $60,110 | $46,070 to $61,250 | 260 |
| Nebraska | $58,920 | $46,870 to $61,950 | 270 |
| Nevada | $60,180 | $48,580 to $78,710 | 660 |
| New Hampshire | $50,360 | $45,140 to $59,490 | 130 |
| New Jersey | $46,690 | $39,040 to $57,010 | 560 |
| New Mexico | $45,760 | $38,650 to $53,540 | 170 |
| New York | $58,090 | $47,250 to $68,820 | 950 |
| North Carolina | $46,270 | $39,000 to $54,800 | 560 |
| North Dakota | $49,280 | $45,110 to $62,400 | 310 |
| Ohio | $43,850 | $38,650 to $56,110 | 1,590 |
| Oklahoma | $38,380 | $36,520 to $45,980 | 390 |
| Oregon | $55,600 | $47,710 to $62,050 | 490 |
| Pennsylvania | $52,560 | $47,460 to $60,370 | 980 |
| Puerto Rico | $23,340 | $23,340 to $26,990 | 100 |
| South Carolina | $45,280 | $37,120 to $52,950 | 330 |
| South Dakota | $48,330 | $38,820 to $60,330 | 120 |
| Tennessee | $42,950 | $38,520 to $49,470 | 1,290 |
| Texas | $45,090 | $37,380 to $50,670 | 1,440 |
| Utah | $51,770 | $45,740 to $62,300 | 260 |
| Vermont | $58,890 | $49,040 to $67,920 | 160 |
| Virginia | $45,560 | $38,640 to $50,160 | 530 |
| Washington | $48,020 | $42,530 to $60,630 | 470 |
| West Virginia | $58,760 | $48,670 to $64,540 | 160 |
| Wisconsin | $54,580 | $46,580 to $59,940 | 530 |
| Wyoming | $71,300 | $59,630 to $86,370 | 170 |
Nationally: $48,540. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 3 of its 21 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Observe operation of equipment to ensure continuity of flow, safety, and efficient operation, and to detect malfunctions. | Not published |
| AI + software | Notify supervisors of needed repairs. | Not published |
| Not much | Tend accessory equipment, such as pumps and conveyors, to move materials or ingredients through production processes. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean work areas. | Not published |
| Not much | Weigh or measure materials, ingredients, or products at specified intervals to ensure conformance to requirements. | Not published |
| Not much | Move controls to start, stop, or adjust machinery and equipment that crushes, grinds, polishes, or blends materials. | Not published |
See all 21 tasks
| Not much | Clean, adjust, and maintain equipment, using hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Dislodge and clear jammed materials or other items from machinery and equipment, using hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect chains, belts, or scrolls for signs of wear. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record data from operations, testing, and production on specified forms. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Read work orders to determine production specifications and information. | Not published |
| Not much | Reject defective products and readjust equipment to eliminate problems. | Not published |
| Not much | Transfer materials, supplies, and products between work areas, using moving equipment and hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine materials, ingredients, or products, visually or with hands, to ensure conformance to established standards. | Not published |
| Not much | Turn valves to regulate the moisture contents of materials. | Not published |
| Not much | Collect samples of materials or products for laboratory testing. | Not published |
| Not much | Set mill gauges to specified fineness of grind. | Not published |
| Not much | Mark bins as to types of mixtures stored. | Not published |
| Not much | Test samples of materials or products to ensure compliance with specifications, using test equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Add or mix chemicals and ingredients for processing, using hand tools or other devices. | Not published |
| Not much | Load materials into machinery and equipment, using hand tools. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 1 of the 21 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 21 tasks fall under 18 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Test characteristics of materials or products | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Operate cutting or grinding equipment | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Prepare mixtures or solutions | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment |
Show all 18 activities
| Mark materials or objects for identification | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Notify others of emergencies or problems | |||
| Evaluate production inputs or outputs | |||
| Monitor equipment operation | |||
| Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment | |||
| Collect samples of products or materials | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Operate pumping systems or equipment | |||
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Data or a spreadsheet22%
- A document or report12%
- An explanation or answer9%
- An analysis or summary6%
- Configuration or infrastructure6%
How they worked with Claude
56% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 2,495 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 2 Paralegals and Legal Assistants High -0.3% 6%
- 3 Cashiers High -6.5% 3%
- 4 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 3%
- 5 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 2,670 moves in
- 1 Cashiers High -6.5% 10%
- 2 Paralegals and Legal Assistants High -0.3% 8%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 4 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 4%
- 5 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 19% less than high school
- 62% high school
- 1% postsecondary certificate
- 18% not published
O*NET marks 18% of the answers as too uncertain to publish, so the parts shown don't add up to 100%.
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 15 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 15% less than high school
- 46% high school
- 20% some college
- 7% associate's
- 8% bachelor's
- 3% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Crushing, grinding, polishing, mixing, and blending workers” · 762 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Crushing, grinding, polishing, mixing, and blending workers”
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 3 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (MILLER, WET PROCESS; PLANT OPERATOR; SURFACE-PLATE FINISHER). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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