Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders pay in the United States

In the U.S., the median pay for food cooking machine operators and tenders is $20.00 an hour ($41,590 a year). About 31,250 people work in this job there.

$20.00Median hourly pay

$36,190–$47,380Middle half of workers, yearly

31,250People in this job in the U.S.

Pay range for food cooking machine operators and tenders in the U.S.

Earns more than	Hourly	Yearly
10% of workers	$15.23	$31,680
25% of workers	$17.40	$36,190
Half of workers (median)	$20.00	$41,590
75% of workers	$22.78	$47,380
90% of workers	$26.16	$54,410

Best-paying states for food cooking machine operators and tenders

State	Median yearly pay	People in this job
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
New York	$45,680	1,300
Tennessee	$45,620	1,820

Pay by state

Arizona · $44,050
California · $44,740
Florida · $36,450
Georgia · $38,440
Idaho · $45,120
Illinois · $42,670
Indiana · $43,350
Iowa · $47,900
Kansas · $45,850
Louisiana · $44,440
Minnesota · $47,250
Missouri · $42,160
Nebraska · $45,420
New York · $45,680
North Carolina · $39,070
Ohio · $41,160
Oklahoma · $36,030
Oregon · $44,530
Pennsylvania · $42,710
South Carolina · $38,220
Tennessee · $45,620
Texas · $33,980
Virginia · $35,140
Wisconsin · $40,000

Education, experience and outlook for food cooking machine operators and tenders

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
Related work experience most have: 1 to 3 months (O*NET)
Training on the job: Moderate-term on-the-job training (BLS)
Job outlook: -0.3% over ten years, little or no change · about 3,700 openings a year (BLS)

Related jobs in the U.S.

Job	Median yearly pay
Cooks, Restaurant	$37,390
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders	$43,220
Bakers	$37,160
Food Batchmakers	$42,290
Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$48,990
Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$51,610
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders	$44,810
Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders	$43,530

Other job titles for this job

Food Production WorkerOven OperatorSteam Oven OperatorWine PasteurizerBakery FryerBlanching Machine OperatorBoilerCasing CookerChip FryerCoconut BoilerConfectionery CookerCook Box Filler

Open food cooking machine operators and tenders jobs on JAI Bot

No open jobs in this field right now. Search all jobs or set up a free job alert.

Hiring food cooking machine operators and tenders? Use the free hiring guide for a job description and interview questions, then post the job on JAI Bot. Every job shows typical pay to job seekers.

Post a job free Find jobs Check pay for any job

Add this pay figure to your website (free)

Career sites, schools and workforce boards can show this typical pay on their own pages. Copy this code into your page:

<div data-jaibot-pay></div>
<script src="https://www.jaibot.ai/widget/pay/food-cooking-machine-operators-and-tenders.js" async></script>

It updates by itself when new government figures come out.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates. Figures are for wage and salary workers and do not include the self-employed. The median is the middle wage: half earn more, half earn less. Other job titles: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.