# Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

US SOC code 51-9124. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/51-9124

Also called: Coating machine operator, Spray painter, Paint machine operator, Powder coat operator, Industrial spray painter.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **158,740** US coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders, with median pay of **$48,250** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the highest was **159,500**, in May 2024, close to the May 2025 count. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/true-blue-dupont-and-the-color-revolution/) of **5,000** from 1924, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era in this work: PLC/HMI line control + offline robot programming, 2005 to 2020. PLC/HMI control and offline programming raised throughput and shortened changeovers, reinforcing the trend toward fewer operators managing more automated line.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 2.5% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=51-9124&ioType=o).

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.

## Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1924
- Latest US employment: 158,740 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $48,250 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [8]
- Outlook: +2.5% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [21]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 94213)
  - Employment, 2020: 15,050. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [6]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 94213 Industrial painters, coaters and metal finishing process operators, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$51,200. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [10]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 94213 Industrial painters, coaters and metal finishing process operators, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.

### All 10 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1924 | 5,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Science History Institute [1] |
| 1970 | 120,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia [2] |
| 2000 | 103,650 | $24,000 (estimate) | BLS OEWS 2000 (employment) [3]; Est., BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (pay) [7] |
| 2019 | 146,350 | $38,150 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 137,510 | $39,060 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 145,410 | $39,130 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 152,120 | $43,960 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 155,880 | $45,560 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 159,500 | $47,590 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 158,740 | $48,250 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (51)

### Employment series

1. [Science History Institute — "True Blue: DuPont and the Color Revolution" (1924 Oakland Duco spray-finishing debut)](https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/true-blue-dupont-and-the-color-revolution/), Science History Institute
2. [Wikipedia — Paint robot (Trallfa 1967-69 first industrial paint robots; pre-robotic manual spray-booth era context)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paint_robot), Wikipedia
3. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [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)
5. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
6. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Wage series

7. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Painting and Coating Workers (wage context for production finishing occupations)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/painting-and-coating-workers.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
8. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [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)
9. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
10. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Tool eras

11. [BodyShop Business — "The History of Sprayguns" (DeVilbiss atomizer 1888, Binks 1887, compressed-air spray gun development)](https://www.bodyshopbusiness.com/the-history-of-sprayguns/), BodyShop Business
12. [Science History Institute — "True Blue: DuPont and the Color Revolution" (1924 Duco lacquer, Oakland, DeVilbiss spray application)](https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/true-blue-dupont-and-the-color-revolution/), Science History Institute
13. [Bowles Electrostatic Painting — "History and Explanation of the Electrostatic Painting Process" (Harold Ransburg, late 1940s US patent)](https://bowleselectrostaticpainting.com/history-and-explanation-of-the-electrostatic-painting-process), Bowles Electrostatic Painting
14. [Codinter Americas — "Electrostatic powder coating or liquid paint" (history of powder coating, 1960s Gema/Volstatic electrostatic powder development)](https://www.codinter.com/en/electrostatic-powder-coating-or-liquid-paint-which-one-is-best-and-why/), Codinter Americas
15. [Wikipedia — Paint robot (Trallfa 1967 prototype, 1969 first shipments, magnetic-tape teach-and-playback, automotive adoption)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paint_robot), Wikipedia
16. [cyberneticzoo.com — "1965-7 Trallfa spray-paint robot, Ole Molaug and Sverre Bergene" (Norwegian origin of the paint robot)](https://cyberneticzoo.com/early-industrial-robots/1965-7-trallfa-spray-paint-robot-ole-molaug-and-sverre-bergene-norweigan/), cyberneticzoo.com
17. [MPMtek — "Automation in Powder Coating Production: PLC and HMI Systems Explained" (operator touchscreen control of ovens, conveyors, recipes)](https://www.powdermachines.com/automation-in-powder-coating-production-plc-hmi-systems-explained/), MPMtek / Powder Machines
18. [FANUC America — Painting robots, ROBOGUIDE PaintPRO offline simulation and Easy Teach path development](https://www.fanucamerica.com/solutions/applications/painting-robots), FANUC America
19. [Qualitas Technologies — "Machine Vision in the Paint Shop: Inspecting Primer on the Coat" (inline vision inspection, cycle time 65s to under 1s, near-100% accuracy)](https://qualitastech.com/use-cases/machine-vision-in-the-paint-shop-inspecting-primer-on-the-coat/), Qualitas Technologies
20. [Cognex — AI-based machine vision tools for surface defect detection in manufacturing](https://www.cognex.com/en/products/ai-based-machine-vision-tools), Cognex

### Forecasts and exposure studies

21. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 51-9124 Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders (2025: 164.8 thousand; 2035: 168.9 thousand; +2.5%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=51-9124&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Historical notes

22. [BodyShop Business — "The History of Sprayguns" (DeVilbiss 1888 atomizer; Binks 1887)](https://www.bodyshopbusiness.com/the-history-of-sprayguns/), BodyShop Business
23. [Science History Institute — "True Blue: DuPont and the Color Revolution"](https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/true-blue-dupont-and-the-color-revolution/), Science History Institute
24. [Bowles Electrostatic Painting — "History and Explanation of the Electrostatic Painting Process"](https://bowleselectrostaticpainting.com/history-and-explanation-of-the-electrostatic-painting-process), Bowles Electrostatic Painting
25. [cyberneticzoo.com — "1965-7 Trallfa spray-paint robot" (first industrial paint robots, Norway)](https://cyberneticzoo.com/early-industrial-robots/1965-7-trallfa-spray-paint-robot-ole-molaug-and-sverre-bergene-norweigan/), cyberneticzoo.com
26. [O\*NET 51-9124.00 — BLS OEWS May 2024 and 2024-34 outlook](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/51-9124.00), O\*NET / BLS

### Predecessors & successors

27. [Science History Institute — "True Blue: DuPont and the Color Revolution" (shift from brushed/dipped slow-dry finishes to sprayed lacquer)](https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/true-blue-dupont-and-the-color-revolution/), Science History Institute

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (51-9124.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/51-9124.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Painting and Coating Workers (2024)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/painting-and-coating-workers.htm), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS OEWS May 2024 — 51-9124 employment 165,500; median wage $47,590](https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes519124.htm), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Goldman Sachs — How Will AI Affect the Global Workforce? (2024)](https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/how-will-ai-affect-the-global-workforce), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Intel Market Research — Painting Robots Market Outlook 2026-2034 (CAGR 9.0%, $1.73B in 2025)](https://www.intelmarketresearch.com/painting-robots-market-43530), accessed 2026-06-05
- [MPMtek — PLC and HMI Systems in Powder Coating: operators log batch data for quality assurance via touchscreen interface](https://www.powdermachines.com/automation-in-powder-coating-production-plc-hmi-systems-explained/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Cognex — AI-Based Machine Vision Tools for surface defect detection in manufacturing](https://www.cognex.com/en/products/ai-based-machine-vision-tools), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Qualitas Technologies — Machine Vision in the Paint Shop: Inspecting Primer on the Coat (case study: near 100% accuracy, cycle time 65s to under 1s)](https://qualitastech.com/use-cases/machine-vision-in-the-paint-shop-inspecting-primer-on-the-coat/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [ScienceDirect 2025 — Coating defect detection in intelligent manufacturing: advances, challenges, and future trends](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0736584525001334), accessed 2026-06-05
- [FANUC America — Easy Teach hand-guiding and ROBOGUIDE PaintPRO offline path development](https://www.fanucamerica.com/solutions/applications/painting-robots), accessed 2026-06-05
- [FANUC Academy — ROBOGUIDE Workshop: PaintPRO](https://fanuc-academy.be/en/roboguide-workshop-paintpro/), accessed 2026-06-05

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