Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Salary in Chicago, IL
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earn a median $48,910 a year — 1% more than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $39,203 take-home, or $3,267 a month.
Take-home pay calculator
Pre-filled with the median coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders salary in Chicago, IL. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.
- Federal income tax$3,689
- Social Security (6.2%)$3,032
- Medicare (1.45%)$709
- Illinois income tax$2,276
- Take-home pay$39,203
Marginal rate: 12% federal + 4.95% state
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro spans Illinois, Indiana. Pick the state you live in — state income tax follows your residence.
Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders pay by experience in Chicago, IL
| Percentile | Salary | Hourly | Take-home / yr | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $36,670 | $17.63 | $29,974 | $2,498 |
| 25th percentile | $42,950 | $20.65 | $34,709 | $2,892 |
| Median (50th) | $48,910 | $23.51 | $39,203 | $3,267 |
| 75th percentile | $60,230 | $28.96 | $47,738 | $3,978 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $78,890 | $37.93 | $60,569 | $5,047 |
Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, Illinois resident, 2026 tax rules.
What $48,910 buys in Chicago, IL
Prices in Chicago, IL are 3.6% higher than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1.12× the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders's $39,203 take-home pay has the buying power of $37,842 in a typical American city.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders jobs are less concentrated in Chicago, IL than nationally (location quotient 0.80), so openings may be scarcer.
Best-paying cities for coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders, adjusted for cost of living
Chicago, IL ranks #7 of 8 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.
| # | Metro area | Median salary | Take-home | Real value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle, WA | $63,030 | $52,825 | $47,533 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $58,520 | $46,638 | $41,433 |
| 3 | Dallas, TX | $49,350 | $41,833 | $40,579 |
| 4 | Houston, TX | $46,950 | $39,904 | $40,459 |
| 5 | Los Angeles, CA | $54,870 | $44,213 | $38,932 |
| 6 | Atlanta, GA | $46,930 | $38,075 | $38,053 |
| 7 | Chicago, IL | $48,910 | $39,203 | $37,842 |
| 8 | Detroit, MI | $44,220 | $36,082 | $35,975 |
*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 8 metros →
About the job: coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders
Set up, operate, or tend spraying or rolling machines to coat or paint any of a wide variety of products, including glassware, cloth, ceramics, metal, plastic, paper, or wood, with lacquer, silver, copper, rubber, varnish, glaze, enamel, oil, or rust-proofing materials.
- Typical education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Work experience
- None required
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Job outlook, 2025–35
- +2.5% (about average)
Source: BLS Standard Occupational Classification and Employment Projections, 2025–35.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders make in Chicago, IL?
The median coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders salary in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area is $48,910 a year, or about $23.51 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $42,950 and $60,230.
What is a coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders’s take-home pay in Chicago, IL?
On the median $48,910 salary, a single filer living in Illinois takes home about $39,203 a year ($3,267 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $2,276 in Illinois taxes in 2026.
Is Chicago, IL a good place to work as a coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders?
Pay here is 1% above the national median of $48,250. Local prices are 3.6% above the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $37,842 would in a typical U.S. city. Chicago, IL ranks #7 of 8 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.
Can a coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders afford rent in Chicago, IL?
HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Chicago, IL is $1,534 a month ($1,743 for two bedrooms) — 47% of a median coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.
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