# Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing

US SOC code 51-7042. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/51-7042

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **61,420** US woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders (except sawing), with median pay of **$43,380** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **97,700**, in May 2006. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Rapids,_Michigan) of **8,500** from 1911, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era in this work: CNC routers and machining centers, 1990 to 2010. CNC adoption combined with Chinese import competition beginning around 1999 drove steep employment losses in residential furniture manufacturing.

Figures: Official statistic (latest count and pay, highest count); Researched context (earliest figure).

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to decline 2.5% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=51-7042&ioType=o) (Official statistic).

### AI exposure studies

- **0.97** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf) (Official statistic)

### Since the 2013 prediction

In 2013, Frey and Osborne put this job's probability of computerisation at 0.97. BLS counted **66,540** of these jobs in May 2013 and **61,420** in May 2025 (-8%, a change derived by Future History). Figures: Official statistic.

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1850
- Latest US employment: 61,420 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [2]
- Latest US median pay: $43,380 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [3]
- Outlook: -2.5% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [10]

### All 24 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1911 | 8,500 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia [1] |
| 2003 | 89,410 | $22,390 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [2] |
| 2004 | 88,870 | $22,740 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [2] |
| 2005 | 94,690 | $23,400 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [2] |
| 2006 | 97,700 | $23,940 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [2] |
| 2007 | 95,220 | $24,190 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [2] |
| 2008 | 88,510 | $24,740 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [2] |
| 2009 | 72,560 | $25,470 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [2] |
| 2010 | 61,130 | $26,520 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [2] |
| 2011 | 58,730 | $27,090 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [2] |
| 2012 | 61,110 | $27,030 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [2] |
| 2013 | 66,540 | $27,300 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [2] |
| 2014 | 70,810 | $27,450 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [2] |
| 2015 | 75,540 | $27,820 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [2] |
| 2016 | 76,130 | $28,510 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [2] |
| 2017 | 79,650 | $29,110 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [2] |
| 2018 | 78,980 | $29,730 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [2] |
| 2019 | 78,850 | $30,990 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [2] |
| 2020 | 75,160 | $32,160 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [2] |
| 2021 | 67,210 | $36,090 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [2] |
| 2022 | 63,680 | $36,830 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [2] |
| 2023 | 61,250 | $38,260 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [2] |
| 2024 | 63,350 | $40,440 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [2] |
| 2025 | 61,420 | $43,380 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [2] |

## Sources (63)

### Employment series

1. [Wikipedia — Grand Rapids, Michigan: furniture industry (8,500 workers across 47 factories by 1911)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Rapids,_Michigan), Wikipedia / various historical sources
2. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

3. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Tool eras

4. [Wikipedia — Grand Rapids, Michigan: furniture industry history (8 factories / 280 workers, 1870, growing to 47 factories / 8,500 workers, 1911)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Rapids,_Michigan), Wikipedia / historical sources
5. [Wikipedia — Sawmill: steam power era in American wood processing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawmill), Wikipedia
6. [Wikipedia — Router (woodworking): history of the electric router, Stanley Works 1930s adoption](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Router_%28woodworking%29), Wikipedia
7. [Wikipedia — High Point, North Carolina: furniture industry origin (first factory 1889, 38 more by 1900, High Point Market from 1921; world's leading wood furniture manufacturing center by 1961)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Point,_North_Carolina), Wikipedia
8. [O\*NET 51-7042.00 — task profile: CNC machine programming and operation listed as core task](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/51-7042.00), O\*NET / BLS
9. [BLS National Employment Matrix 2024-34: 51-7042 employment 63,100 in 2024, projected 61,900 in 2034 (-1.8%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=51-7042&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Forecasts and exposure studies

10. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 51-7042 Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing (2025: 60.9 thousand; 2035: 59.4 thousand; -2.5%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=51-7042&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
11. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 51-7042 Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing: probability 0.97, rank 645 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford

### Historical notes

12. [Wikipedia — Grand Rapids, Michigan: 1876 Centennial Exposition and furniture industry validation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Rapids,_Michigan), Wikipedia / historical sources
13. [Wikipedia — High Point, North Carolina: first furniture factory 1889, 38 new factories in NC by 1900](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Point,_North_Carolina), Wikipedia / historical sources
14. [Wikipedia — Router (woodworking): George Kelley patent 1906, Onsrud 1915, Stanley Works 1930s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Router_%28woodworking%29), Wikipedia
15. [BLS National Employment Matrix — 51-7042 historical employment context (peak-to-trough 2003-2010 period)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=51-7042&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Predecessors & successors

16. [Wikipedia — Grand Rapids, Michigan: transition from hand craft to machine-based furniture factories (1870-1911)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Rapids,_Michigan), Wikipedia / historical sources
17. [Wikipedia — Sawmill: history of steam-powered sawmilling in the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawmill), Wikipedia

### Present-day analysis

- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-21
- [O\*NET 30.3 — US Department of Labor](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), accessed 2026-05-21

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.