Average Food Cooking Machine Operators And Tenders Salary in the United States
The national median salary for Food Cooking Machine Operators And Tenders is $41,590 per year. The middle 50% earn between $36,190 and $47,380, with 31,250 workers employed nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates . Data covers 41 states and 87 metro areas.
Pay distribution
Here is how Food Cooking Machine Operators And Tenders pay is distributed across workers nationally. The 10th percentile typically reflects entry-level or early-career pay, the median is the midpoint, and the 90th percentile represents the top earners in the field.
- 10th
- $31,680
- 25th
- $36,190
- Median
- $41,590
- 75th
- $47,380
- 90th
- $54,410
All values are percentiles of annual wages.
Food Cooking Machine Operators And Tenders earn close to the national median for all US workers. Solidly middle-income.
Pay is tightly clustered around the median. Most food cooking machine operators and tenders earn within a narrow band, with less variation than many other occupations. That is often a sign of standardized roles or union and public-sector pay scales.
Job outlook
BLS projects employment for food cooking machine operators and tenders from 2024 to 2034. Growth is below the US average of roughly 4% across all occupations. The field is relatively stable but not expanding quickly.
- Projected growth
- +0.6%
- 200 net jobs over the projection period.
- Annual openings
- 4,400
- Includes growth plus replacements for workers who leave. Annual openings reflect typical replacement demand alongside any growth.
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
A high-school diploma is typically sufficient for entry, with much of the training happening on the job.
Where Food Cooking Machine Operators And Tenders earn the most
Location matters for pay. The top-paying state is noticeably above the national median, so relocating to a higher-paying market can meaningfully boost earnings. Right now, the top-paying state is Washington at $51,100, about 22.9% above the national median. At the metro level, Cedar Rapids, IA leads with a median of $63,690.
Top-paying states
| State | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $51,100 | 310 |
| Utah | $48,620 | 390 |
| Massachusetts | $47,960 | 170 |
| Iowa | $47,900 | 850 |
| Michigan | $47,260 | 380 |
| Minnesota | $47,250 | 1,410 |
| Colorado | $46,900 | 300 |
| Kansas | $45,850 | 750 |
Top-paying metros
| Metro area | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Cedar Rapids, IA | $63,690 | 40 |
| Modesto, CA | $59,010 | 140 |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | $57,680 | 80 |
| Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA | $57,490 | 110 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $56,190 | 190 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | $55,270 | 190 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | $51,600 | 190 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $51,560 | 70 |
Compare two locations side by side
Pick two states or metros to see food cooking machine operators and tenders pay in each, along with a cost-of-living adjusted view.
Salary trend and related occupations
Between 2019 and 2025, the national median salary for Food Cooking Machine Operators And Tenders rose from $31,110 to $41,590, a gain of +33.7% in nominal dollars.
Over the same period, US consumer prices rose by +25.9%. Just to keep pace with inflation, the 2019 median of $31,110 would need to be worth $39,176 in 2025 dollars.
The actual 2025 median of $41,590 is $2,414 above that inflation-adjusted benchmark, a real change of +6.2% in purchasing power.
Real wages have outpaced inflation by 6.2%, a modest but real gain in purchasing power.
- Nominal change
- +33.7%
- 2019–2025
- Cumulative inflation
- +25.9%
- US CPI, 2019–2025
- Real change
- +6.2%
- After adjusting for inflation
Median salary over time
Food Cooking Machine Operators And Tenders median pay by year, going back through the available BLS releases.
- 2025
- $41,590
- 2024
- $40,550
- 2023
- $38,550
- 2022
- $36,700
- 2021
- $35,890
- 2020
- $33,010
- 2019
- $31,110
BLS did not publish a median for 2000–2018, so those years are omitted.
Related occupations
Other occupations in the same field, with median pay for comparison.
- Food Batchmakers
- $42,290
- Butchers And Meat Cutters
- $40,140
- Slaughterers And Meat Packers
- $40,130
- Bakers
- $37,160
Common salary questions for Food Cooking Machine Operators And Tenders
What does the median salary mean? +
The median is the midpoint of all wages. Half of Food Cooking Machine Operators And Tenders workers earn more and half earn less. It is a better measure of typical pay than the average, which can be skewed by very high or very low earners.
Why does pay vary so much by location? +
Local labor markets, cost of living, industry concentration, and employer competition all affect wages. High-cost metros like San Francisco and New York often pay more in nominal terms, though some of that premium is offset by higher living costs.
How current is this salary data? +
This page uses the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. BLS publishes OEWS data once per year, typically in the spring for the previous May reference period.
What do the percentile ranges tell me? +
The 10th and 90th percentiles show the full pay band. The 25th to 75th percentile range, the middle 50%, is where most workers fall. A wide spread usually means experience, specialization, or location matter a lot for this occupation.