Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders pay in the U.S.
$42,570avg. a year
$20.47 an hour · 31,250 employed
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders in the U.S. earn an average of $42,570 a year and a median of $41,590. Pay is highest in Washington ($51,220) and lowest in Alabama ($31,310).
$41,590Median pay
$20.47Average hourly
+25%Avg. pay since 2020
31,250Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for food cooking machine operators and tenders
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1310 jobs
Washington
$51,220
$24.62 an hour
2790 jobs
Idaho
$50,040
$24.06 an hour
3300 jobs
Colorado
$48,680
$23.41 an hour
4850 jobs
Iowa
$48,370
$23.26 an hour
5380 jobs
Michigan
$48,070
$23.11 an hour
61,410 jobs
Minnesota
$47,980
$23.07 an hour
71,300 jobs
New York
$47,150
$22.67 an hour
81,820 jobs
Tennessee
$46,920
$22.56 an hour
9170 jobs
Massachusetts
$46,640
$22.42 an hour
102,010 jobs
California
$45,060
$21.67 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $39k$39k–$43k$43k–$45k$45k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Modesto, CA | $63,280 | $30.42 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $54,550 | $26.23 |
| Boise City, ID | $51,170 | $24.60 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $51,020 | $24.53 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | $49,980 | $24.03 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $49,920 | $24.00 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $48,260 | $23.20 |
| Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA | $48,230 | $23.19 |
Related jobs
- Bakers$38,480
- Food Batchmakers$43,750
- Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$39,280
- Butchers and Meat Cutters$42,380
- Slaughterers and Meat Packers$41,770
- Food Processing Workers, All Other$40,300
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $31,310 | $27,080 | 250 |
| Arizona | $42,190 | $44,050 | 560 |
| Arkansas | $42,180 | $40,480 | 330 |
| California | $45,060 | $44,740 | 2,010 |
| Colorado | $48,680 | $46,900 | 300 |
| Connecticut | $42,160 | $38,880 | 60 |
| Delaware | $35,620 | $31,240 | – |
| Florida | $38,140 | $36,450 | 970 |
| Georgia | $39,670 | $38,440 | 690 |
| Idaho | $50,040 | $45,120 | 790 |
| Illinois | $42,590 | $42,670 | 2,460 |
| Indiana | $44,770 | $43,350 | 540 |
| Iowa | $48,370 | $47,900 | 850 |
| Kansas | $44,300 | $45,850 | 750 |
| Kentucky | $43,720 | $41,800 | 300 |
| Louisiana | $43,530 | $44,440 | 550 |
| Maine | $42,170 | $37,500 | 170 |
| Maryland | $37,900 | $36,960 | – |
| Massachusetts | $46,640 | $47,960 | 170 |
| Michigan | $48,070 | $47,260 | 380 |
| Minnesota | $47,980 | $47,250 | 1,410 |
| Mississippi | $31,660 | $31,150 | 110 |
| Missouri | $44,440 | $42,160 | 620 |
| Nebraska | $45,030 | $45,420 | 670 |
| Nevada | $36,790 | $36,610 | – |
| New Hampshire | $40,140 | $40,440 | 110 |
| New Jersey | $37,880 | $37,180 | 430 |
| New York | $47,150 | $45,680 | 1,300 |
| North Carolina | $38,110 | $39,070 | 770 |
| Ohio | $43,180 | $41,160 | 980 |
| Oklahoma | $39,240 | $36,030 | 1,140 |
| Oregon | $44,390 | $44,530 | 570 |
| Pennsylvania | $42,850 | $42,710 | 1,580 |
| South Carolina | $39,050 | $38,220 | 520 |
| South Dakota | $39,480 | $39,270 | 120 |
| Tennessee | $46,920 | $45,620 | 1,820 |
| Texas | $34,570 | $33,980 | 3,180 |
| Utah | $44,290 | $48,620 | 390 |
| Virginia | $37,650 | $35,140 | 510 |
| Washington | $51,220 | $51,100 | 310 |
| Wisconsin | $44,400 | $40,000 | 850 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$44,010
1,900 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$45,310
880 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$35,950
850 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$34,100
600 jobsSan Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
$32,720
530 jobsBaltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
$37,110
520 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$40,250
510 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$37,390
490 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do food cooking machine operators and tenders make?
The average is $42,570 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $41,590 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $20.47, and the median is $20.00 an hour.
Which state pays food cooking machine operators and tenders the most?
Washington, with an average of $51,220 a year. The best-paying metro area is Modesto, CA at $63,280.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $31,680 a year, and the top 10% earn over $54,410.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 51-3093. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.