Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Also called: Cup Room Technician, Folder Machine Operator, Paper Machine Backtender, Paper Machine OperatorSet up, operate, or tend paper goods machines that perform a variety of functions, such as converting, sawing, corrugating, banding, wrapping, boxing, stitching, forming, or sealing paper or paperboard sheets into products.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 14 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 3.6% 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, 5.7% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 8.4 hires for every 10 job openings in nondurable goods manufacturing, which employs about 95% 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 | $52,290 | $38,380 to $64,060 | 3,800 |
| Arizona | $49,160 | $40,850 to $50,880 | 1,190 |
| Arkansas | $48,630 | $44,510 to $57,300 | 2,060 |
| California | $48,730 | $40,910 to $59,390 | 5,570 |
| Colorado | $48,940 | $47,580 to $58,000 | 240 |
| Connecticut | $48,530 | $43,150 to $64,710 | 650 |
| Delaware | $48,110 | $38,390 to $50,860 | 160 |
| Florida | $48,910 | $42,220 to $61,210 | 1,360 |
| Georgia | $50,160 | $44,870 to $60,010 | 5,650 |
| Idaho | $57,950 | $51,300 to $58,180 | 480 |
| Illinois | $56,400 | $47,300 to $59,890 | 5,360 |
| Indiana | $48,780 | $46,170 to $57,330 | 2,580 |
| Iowa | $46,110 | $38,930 to $67,340 | 1,010 |
| Kansas | $45,840 | $37,710 to $51,150 | 420 |
| Kentucky | $58,050 | $50,800 to $61,250 | 2,670 |
| Louisiana | $58,230 | $49,530 to $75,820 | 1,150 |
| Maine | $61,780 | $50,450 to $64,890 | 740 |
| Maryland | $47,780 | $38,620 to $53,850 | 480 |
| Massachusetts | $48,840 | $43,170 to $59,760 | 1,920 |
| Michigan | $50,540 | $48,220 to $60,620 | 3,000 |
| Minnesota | $58,150 | $47,260 to $63,310 | 1,960 |
| Mississippi | $47,380 | $41,130 to $58,640 | 960 |
| Missouri | $47,560 | $44,270 to $57,100 | 1,540 |
| Nebraska | $47,980 | $41,830 to $49,470 | 300 |
| Nevada | $47,780 | $44,340 to $49,920 | 380 |
| New Hampshire | $50,200 | $47,700 to $61,240 | 230 |
| New Jersey | $45,950 | $37,450 to $59,110 | 3,210 |
| New Mexico | $53,930 | $46,060 to $57,830 | 100 |
| New York | $52,800 | $44,980 to $61,170 | 3,280 |
| North Carolina | $47,940 | $38,260 to $56,870 | 4,800 |
| Ohio | $47,450 | $44,310 to $57,190 | 4,640 |
| Oklahoma | $63,640 | $48,950 to $68,420 | 1,390 |
| Oregon | $56,810 | $47,990 to $63,800 | 680 |
| Pennsylvania | $51,780 | $45,390 to $61,200 | 7,410 |
| Puerto Rico | $30,530 | $22,840 to $37,510 | 240 |
| Rhode Island | $48,710 | $37,710 to $49,260 | 240 |
| South Carolina | $50,040 | $43,490 to $61,680 | 2,460 |
| South Dakota | $46,910 | $38,310 to $47,520 | 130 |
| Tennessee | $46,920 | $37,070 to $56,060 | 3,490 |
| Texas | $47,830 | $39,260 to $54,420 | 3,740 |
| Utah | $60,790 | $49,550 to $61,880 | 1,350 |
| Virginia | $49,900 | $39,860 to $60,440 | 2,370 |
| Washington | $59,410 | $49,960 to $64,650 | 2,170 |
| Wisconsin | $58,050 | $47,840 to $62,260 | 8,510 |
Nationally: $50,270. 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 1 of its 14 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Examine completed work to detect defects and verify conformance to work orders, and adjust machinery as necessary to correct production problems. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe operation of various machines to detect and correct machine malfunctions such as improper forming, glue flow, or pasteboard tension. | Not published |
| Not much | Start machines and move controls to regulate tension on pressure rolls, to synchronize speed of machine components, and to adjust temperatures of glue or paraffin. | Not published |
| Not much | Install attachments to machines for gluing, folding, printing, or cutting. | Not published |
| Not much | Disassemble machines to maintain, repair, or replace broken or worn parts, using hand or power tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Place rolls of paper or cardboard on machine feed tracks, and thread paper through gluing, coating, and slitting rollers. | Not published |
See all 14 tasks
| Not much | Adjust guide assemblies, forming bars, and folding mechanisms according to specifications, using hand tools. | Not published |
| AI + software | Stamp products with information such as dates, using hand stamps or automatic stamping devices. | Not published |
| Not much | Monitor finished cartons as they drop from forming machines into rotating hoppers and into gravity feed chutes to prevent jamming. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove finished cores, and stack or place them on conveyors for transfer to other work areas. | Not published |
| Not much | Fill glue and paraffin reservoirs, and position rollers to dispense glue onto paperboard. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure, space, and set saw blades, cutters, and perforators, according to product specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Cut products to specified dimensions, using hand or power cutters. | Not published |
| Not much | Lift tote boxes of finished cartons, and dump cartons into feed hoppers. | 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. 0 of the 14 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 14 tasks fall under 10 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.
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing | |||
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Position workpieces or materials on equipment | |||
| Monitor equipment operation | |||
| Set up equipment | |||
| Inspect completed work or finished products | |||
| Mark materials or objects for identification | |||
| Cut materials |
Show all 10 activities
| Disassemble equipment | |||
| Remove workpieces from production equipment |
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 paper goods 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 in from
of 234 moves in
- 1 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 9%
- 2 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 6%
- 3 Cashiers High -6.5% 6%
- 4 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 5%
- 5 Nursing Assistants Low +2.6% 5%
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
- 20% less than high school
- 69% high school
- 1% postsecondary certificate
- 9% some college
- 1% associate's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 26 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 18% less than high school
- 44% high school
- 20% some college
- 12% associate's
- 6% bachelor's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 180 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 this occupation
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 2 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (ENVELOPE-FOLD-MACH ADJUSTER; MACHINE SET-UP OPER, PAPER). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Paper Goods 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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