diff --git a/runners/core-java/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/runners/core/metrics/StringSetCell.java b/runners/core-java/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/runners/core/metrics/StringSetCell.java
index fc8dcb49894f..6bf34306e272 100644
--- a/runners/core-java/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/runners/core/metrics/StringSetCell.java
+++ b/runners/core-java/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/runners/core/metrics/StringSetCell.java
@@ -72,6 +72,14 @@ public StringSetData getCumulative() {
     return setValue.get();
   }
 
+  // Used by Streaming metric container to extract deltas since streaming metrics are
+  // reported as deltas rather than cumulative as in batch.
+  // For delta we take the current value then reset the cell to empty so the next call only see
+  // delta/updates from last call.
+  public StringSetData getAndReset() {
+    return setValue.getAndUpdate(unused -> StringSetData.empty());
+  }
+
   @Override
   public MetricName getName() {
     return name;
diff --git a/runners/google-cloud-dataflow-java/worker/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/runners/dataflow/worker/BatchModeExecutionContext.java b/runners/google-cloud-dataflow-java/worker/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/runners/dataflow/worker/BatchModeExecutionContext.java
index aeef7784c2c3..cf07e5f72401 100644
--- a/runners/google-cloud-dataflow-java/worker/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/runners/dataflow/worker/BatchModeExecutionContext.java
+++ b/runners/google-cloud-dataflow-java/worker/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/runners/dataflow/worker/BatchModeExecutionContext.java
@@ -519,7 +519,7 @@ public Iterable<CounterUpdate> extractMetricUpdates(boolean isFinalUpdate) {
                       .transform(
                           update ->
                               MetricsToCounterUpdateConverter.fromStringSet(
-                                  update.getKey(), update.getUpdate())));
+                                  update.getKey(), true, update.getUpdate())));
             });
   }
 
diff --git a/runners/google-cloud-dataflow-java/worker/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/runners/dataflow/worker/MetricsToCounterUpdateConverter.java b/runners/google-cloud-dataflow-java/worker/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/runners/dataflow/worker/MetricsToCounterUpdateConverter.java
index dbedc51528a5..4866d2011222 100644
--- a/runners/google-cloud-dataflow-java/worker/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/runners/dataflow/worker/MetricsToCounterUpdateConverter.java
+++ b/runners/google-cloud-dataflow-java/worker/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/runners/dataflow/worker/MetricsToCounterUpdateConverter.java
@@ -98,7 +98,8 @@ public static CounterUpdate fromGauge(
         .setIntegerGauge(integerGaugeProto);
   }
 
-  public static CounterUpdate fromStringSet(MetricKey key, StringSetData stringSetData) {
+  public static CounterUpdate fromStringSet(
+      MetricKey key, boolean isCumulative, StringSetData stringSetData) {
     CounterStructuredNameAndMetadata name = structuredNameAndMetadata(key, Kind.SET);
 
     StringList stringList = new StringList();
@@ -106,7 +107,7 @@ public static CounterUpdate fromStringSet(MetricKey key, StringSetData stringSet
 
     return new CounterUpdate()
         .setStructuredNameAndMetadata(name)
-        .setCumulative(false)
+        .setCumulative(isCumulative)
         .setStringList(stringList);
   }
 
diff --git a/runners/google-cloud-dataflow-java/worker/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/runners/dataflow/worker/StreamingStepMetricsContainer.java b/runners/google-cloud-dataflow-java/worker/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/runners/dataflow/worker/StreamingStepMetricsContainer.java
index 03ba501941ae..dd7db5ae9d1b 100644
--- a/runners/google-cloud-dataflow-java/worker/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/runners/dataflow/worker/StreamingStepMetricsContainer.java
+++ b/runners/google-cloud-dataflow-java/worker/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/runners/dataflow/worker/StreamingStepMetricsContainer.java
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
 import org.apache.beam.runners.core.metrics.GaugeCell;
 import org.apache.beam.runners.core.metrics.MetricsMap;
 import org.apache.beam.runners.core.metrics.StringSetCell;
+import org.apache.beam.runners.core.metrics.StringSetData;
 import org.apache.beam.sdk.metrics.Counter;
 import org.apache.beam.sdk.metrics.Distribution;
 import org.apache.beam.sdk.metrics.Gauge;
@@ -73,7 +74,7 @@ public class StreamingStepMetricsContainer implements MetricsContainer {
   private final ConcurrentHashMap<MetricName, GaugeCell> perWorkerGauges =
       new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
 
-  private MetricsMap<MetricName, StringSetCell> stringSet = new MetricsMap<>(StringSetCell::new);
+  private MetricsMap<MetricName, StringSetCell> stringSets = new MetricsMap<>(StringSetCell::new);
 
   private MetricsMap<MetricName, DeltaDistributionCell> distributions =
       new MetricsMap<>(DeltaDistributionCell::new);
@@ -182,7 +183,7 @@ public Gauge getPerWorkerGauge(MetricName metricName) {
 
   @Override
   public StringSet getStringSet(MetricName metricName) {
-    return stringSet.get(metricName);
+    return stringSets.get(metricName);
   }
 
   @Override
@@ -202,9 +203,11 @@ public Histogram getPerWorkerHistogram(
   }
 
   public Iterable<CounterUpdate> extractUpdates() {
+    // Streaming metrics are updated as delta and not cumulative.
     return counterUpdates()
         .append(distributionUpdates())
-        .append(gaugeUpdates().append(stringSetUpdates()));
+        .append(gaugeUpdates())
+        .append(stringSetUpdates());
   }
 
   private FluentIterable<CounterUpdate> counterUpdates() {
@@ -247,14 +250,18 @@ private FluentIterable<CounterUpdate> gaugeUpdates() {
   }
 
   private FluentIterable<CounterUpdate> stringSetUpdates() {
-    return FluentIterable.from(stringSet.entries())
+    return FluentIterable.from(stringSets.entries())
         .transform(
             new Function<Entry<MetricName, StringSetCell>, CounterUpdate>() {
               @Override
               public @Nullable CounterUpdate apply(
                   @Nonnull Map.Entry<MetricName, StringSetCell> entry) {
+                StringSetData value = entry.getValue().getAndReset();
+                if (value.stringSet().isEmpty()) {
+                  return null;
+                }
                 return MetricsToCounterUpdateConverter.fromStringSet(
-                    MetricKey.create(stepName, entry.getKey()), entry.getValue().getCumulative());
+                    MetricKey.create(stepName, entry.getKey()), false, value);
               }
             })
         .filter(Predicates.notNull());
diff --git a/runners/google-cloud-dataflow-java/worker/src/test/java/org/apache/beam/runners/dataflow/worker/StreamingStepMetricsContainerTest.java b/runners/google-cloud-dataflow-java/worker/src/test/java/org/apache/beam/runners/dataflow/worker/StreamingStepMetricsContainerTest.java
index 37c5ad261280..4b758aa6cd45 100644
--- a/runners/google-cloud-dataflow-java/worker/src/test/java/org/apache/beam/runners/dataflow/worker/StreamingStepMetricsContainerTest.java
+++ b/runners/google-cloud-dataflow-java/worker/src/test/java/org/apache/beam/runners/dataflow/worker/StreamingStepMetricsContainerTest.java
@@ -315,14 +315,14 @@ public void testStringSetUpdateExtraction() {
             .setStringList(new StringList().setElements(Arrays.asList("ij", "kl", "mn")));
 
     updates = StreamingStepMetricsContainer.extractMetricUpdates(registry);
-    assertThat(updates, containsInAnyOrder(name1Update, name2Update));
+    assertThat(updates, containsInAnyOrder(name2Update));
 
+    // test deltas
     c1.getStringSet(name1).add("op");
-    name1Update.setStringList(
-        new StringList().setElements(Arrays.asList("ab", "cd", "ef", "gh", "op")));
+    name1Update.setStringList(new StringList().setElements(Arrays.asList("op")));
 
     updates = StreamingStepMetricsContainer.extractMetricUpdates(registry);
-    assertThat(updates, containsInAnyOrder(name1Update, name2Update));
+    assertThat(updates, containsInAnyOrder(name1Update));
   }
 
   @Test