Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders (SOC 51-3093) earn a median $41,590 a year ($20.00 an hour) in the United States, with 31,250 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Washington.
What food cooking machine operators and tenders do
Food cooking machine operators and tenders run cooking equipment including steam-jacketed kettles, deep fryers, pressure cookers, cooking vats, and boilers. Work orders, recipes, and formulas tell them the cooking time, temperature, and ingredients for a run. They measure or weigh ingredients, load the equipment, and watch gauges and dials, adjusting controls so heat, pressure, and flow remain in range. Product is checked to confirm it is cooked properly before it moves on. They write down steps taken, steam and temperature readings, batch counts, and test results, and at the end they wash and sanitize equipment and the cooking area with hoses and cleaning solutions. Cooked material or product is removed from the equipment when the cycle ends. Roasting, baking, and drying equipment operators are excluded and counted in their own code.
Typical entry: According to O*NET, a high school diploma or equivalent is the most common level of education reported by workers in this occupation.
Also called: Bakery Fryer, Blanching Machine Operator, Boiler, Brine Maker, Casing Cooker.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $15.23 | $17.40 | $20.00 | $22.78 | $26.16 | $20.47 | 31,250 |
| Annual | $31,680 | $36,190 | $41,590 | $47,380 | $54,410 | $42,570 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where food cooking machine operators and tenders earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Washington | Hourly | $19.74 | $22.88 | $24.57 | $27.33 | $29.17 | $24.62 | 310 | 0.09 | 0.43 |
| Annual | $41,060 | $47,580 | $51,100 | $56,850 | $60,660 | $51,220 | ||||
| Utah | Hourly | $15.31 | $17.82 | $23.37 | $25.30 | $25.40 | $21.30 | 390 | 0.23 | 1.12 |
| Annual | $31,850 | $37,070 | $48,620 | $52,630 | $52,830 | $44,290 | ||||
| Massachusetts | Hourly | $18.16 | $19.73 | $23.06 | $24.16 | $27.18 | $22.42 | 170 | 0.05 | 0.24 |
| Annual | $37,760 | $41,030 | $47,960 | $50,250 | $56,530 | $46,640 | ||||
| Iowa | Hourly | $20.87 | $22.30 | $23.03 | $23.98 | $25.01 | $23.26 | 850 | 0.55 | 2.72 |
| Annual | $43,410 | $46,380 | $47,900 | $49,880 | $52,020 | $48,370 | ||||
| Michigan | Hourly | $19.22 | $21.10 | $22.72 | $24.37 | $26.18 | $23.11 | 380 | 0.09 | 0.43 |
| Annual | $39,980 | $43,880 | $47,260 | $50,680 | $54,440 | $48,070 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Texas | Hourly | $12.25 | $14.22 | $16.34 | $17.84 | $21.85 | $16.62 | 3,180 | 0.23 | 1.12 |
| Annual | $25,480 | $29,580 | $33,980 | $37,100 | $45,460 | $34,570 | ||||
| Illinois | Hourly | $15.62 | $17.54 | $20.51 | $22.69 | $24.67 | $20.48 | 2,460 | 0.40 | 2.01 |
| Annual | $32,480 | $36,490 | $42,670 | $47,200 | $51,320 | $42,590 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $17.20 | $18.17 | $21.51 | $23.12 | $25.64 | $21.67 | 2,010 | 0.11 | 0.55 |
| Annual | $35,770 | $37,790 | $44,740 | $48,080 | $53,340 | $45,060 | ||||
| Tennessee | Hourly | $16.87 | $19.81 | $21.93 | $26.57 | $30.08 | $22.56 | 1,820 | 0.56 | 2.76 |
| Annual | $35,100 | $41,200 | $45,620 | $55,270 | $62,560 | $46,920 | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Hourly | $16.81 | $17.86 | $20.54 | $22.62 | $24.77 | $20.60 | 1,580 | 0.26 | 1.30 |
| Annual | $34,960 | $37,160 | $42,710 | $47,050 | $51,520 | $42,850 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Cedar Rapids, IA | Hourly | $19.26 | $20.88 | $30.62 | $38.69 | $38.69 | $29.65 | 40 | 0.27 | 1.32 |
| Annual | $40,060 | $43,440 | $63,690 | $80,480 | $80,480 | $61,670 | ||||
| Modesto, CA | Hourly | $17.32 | $18.93 | $28.37 | $39.86 | $39.87 | $30.42 | 140 | 0.71 | 3.51 |
| Annual | $36,020 | $39,370 | $59,010 | $82,920 | $82,930 | $63,280 | ||||
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | Hourly | $18.23 | $21.90 | $27.73 | $27.73 | $27.73 | $24.55 | 80 | 0.28 | 1.40 |
| Annual | $37,920 | $45,550 | $57,680 | $57,680 | $57,680 | $51,070 | ||||
| Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA | Hourly | $16.58 | $17.16 | $27.64 | $27.64 | $27.64 | $23.19 | 110 | 0.44 | 2.20 |
| Annual | $34,490 | $35,690 | $57,490 | $57,490 | $57,490 | $48,230 | ||||
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | Hourly | $23.35 | $24.57 | $27.01 | $27.34 | $29.17 | $26.23 | 190 | 0.09 | 0.44 |
| Annual | $48,560 | $51,100 | $56,190 | $56,860 | $60,660 | $54,550 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Hourly | $17.51 | $18.11 | $21.29 | $22.70 | $25.29 | $21.16 | 1,900 | 0.42 | 2.09 |
| Annual | $36,430 | $37,680 | $44,280 | $47,210 | $52,600 | $44,010 | ||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Hourly | $17.36 | $18.26 | $20.00 | $26.30 | $27.74 | $21.79 | 880 | 0.09 | 0.46 |
| Annual | $36,120 | $37,980 | $41,590 | $54,700 | $57,710 | $45,310 | ||||
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | Hourly | $13.00 | $15.50 | $16.94 | $18.39 | $22.24 | $17.28 | 850 | 0.21 | 1.04 |
| Annual | $27,050 | $32,250 | $35,240 | $38,240 | $46,260 | $35,950 | ||||
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | Hourly | $11.96 | $14.50 | $15.47 | $17.33 | $20.99 | $16.40 | 600 | 0.18 | 0.91 |
| Annual | $24,870 | $30,170 | $32,180 | $36,040 | $43,660 | $34,100 | ||||
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | Hourly | $13.11 | $14.22 | $14.59 | $17.18 | $18.25 | $15.73 | 530 | 0.47 | 2.34 |
| Annual | $27,260 | $29,580 | $30,340 | $35,720 | $37,960 | $32,720 | ||||
Top industries employing food cooking machine operators and tenders
Other Food Manufacturing employ 22.2% of food cooking machine operators and tenders nationally (6,930 jobs) at a median $45,560 a year ($21.90 an hour), followed by Animal Slaughtering and Processing (18.3%) and Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (17.4%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other Food Manufacturing NAICS 311900 | 6,930 | 22.2% | $45,560 | $21.90 |
| Animal Slaughtering and Processing NAICS 311600 | 5,710 | 18.3% | $45,120 | $21.69 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing NAICS 311400 | 5,450 | 17.4% | $41,830 | $20.11 |
| Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing NAICS 311800 | 4,180 | 13.4% | $39,270 | $18.88 |
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places NAICS 722500 | 2,440 | 7.8% | $36,740 | $17.67 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (31,250). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $35,890 for food cooking machine operators and tenders in May 2021 and $41,590 in May 2025, with employment of 26,710 and 31,250.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $35,890 | $17.26 | 26,710 |
| May 2022 | $36,700 | $17.64 | 26,740 |
| May 2023 | $38,550 | $18.54 | 29,730 |
| May 2024 | $40,550 | $19.49 | 27,660 |
| May 2025 | $41,590 | $20.00 | 31,250 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
41 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington profile | $24.57 | $51,100 | $41,060 | $60,660 | 310 | 0.09 | 0.43 |
| 2 | Utah profile | $23.37 | $48,620 | $31,850 | $52,830 | 390 | 0.23 | 1.12 |
| 3 | Massachusetts profile | $23.06 | $47,960 | $37,760 | $56,530 | 170 | 0.05 | 0.24 |
| 4 | Iowa profile | $23.03 | $47,900 | $43,410 | $52,020 | 850 | 0.55 | 2.72 |
| 5 | Michigan profile | $22.72 | $47,260 | $39,980 | $54,440 | 380 | 0.09 | 0.43 |
| 6 | Minnesota profile | $22.72 | $47,250 | $46,660 | $49,770 | 1,410 | 0.48 | 2.38 |
| 7 | Colorado profile | $22.55 | $46,900 | $40,100 | $62,620 | 300 | 0.10 | 0.51 |
| 8 | Kansas profile | $22.04 | $45,850 | $33,330 | $50,030 | 750 | 0.52 | 2.58 |
| 9 | New York profile | $21.96 | $45,680 | $36,300 | $60,250 | 1,300 | 0.13 | 0.67 |
| 10 | Tennessee profile | $21.93 | $45,620 | $35,100 | $62,560 | 1,820 | 0.56 | 2.76 |
| 11 | Nebraska profile | $21.84 | $45,420 | $34,910 | $57,390 | 670 | 0.65 | 3.25 |
| 12 | Idaho profile | $21.69 | $45,120 | $36,630 | $75,380 | 790 | 0.93 | 4.60 |
| 13 | California profile | $21.51 | $44,740 | $35,770 | $53,340 | 2,010 | 0.11 | 0.55 |
| 14 | Oregon profile | $21.41 | $44,530 | $36,450 | $55,770 | 570 | 0.29 | 1.44 |
| 15 | Louisiana profile | $21.37 | $44,440 | $18,680 | $61,360 | 550 | 0.29 | 1.43 |
| 16 | Arizona profile | $21.18 | $44,050 | $32,210 | $51,970 | 560 | 0.17 | 0.87 |
| 17 | Indiana profile | $20.84 | $43,350 | $38,820 | $51,730 | 540 | 0.17 | 0.83 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania profile | $20.54 | $42,710 | $34,960 | $51,520 | 1,580 | 0.26 | 1.30 |
| 19 | Illinois profile | $20.51 | $42,670 | $32,480 | $51,320 | 2,460 | 0.40 | 2.01 |
| 20 | Missouri profile | $20.27 | $42,160 | $28,810 | $57,020 | 620 | 0.21 | 1.05 |
| 21 | Kentucky profile | $20.09 | $41,800 | $36,360 | $52,990 | 300 | 0.15 | 0.74 |
| 22 | Ohio profile | $19.79 | $41,160 | $33,740 | $55,430 | 980 | 0.18 | 0.88 |
| 23 | Arkansas profile | $19.46 | $40,480 | $34,660 | $48,930 | 330 | 0.26 | 1.27 |
| 24 | New Hampshire profile | $19.44 | $40,440 | $34,100 | $50,170 | 110 | 0.16 | 0.82 |
| 25 | Wisconsin profile | $19.23 | $40,000 | $35,000 | $60,400 | 850 | 0.29 | 1.44 |
| 26 | South Dakota profile | $18.88 | $39,270 | $31,280 | $48,890 | 120 | 0.27 | 1.33 |
| 27 | North Carolina profile | $18.79 | $39,070 | $28,770 | $46,430 | 770 | 0.16 | 0.78 |
| 28 | Connecticut profile | $18.69 | $38,880 | $34,010 | $49,680 | 60 | 0.03 | 0.17 |
| 29 | Georgia profile | $18.48 | $38,440 | $31,500 | $49,280 | 690 | 0.14 | 0.71 |
| 30 | South Carolina profile | $18.37 | $38,220 | $36,520 | $46,370 | 520 | 0.23 | 1.13 |
| 31 | Maine profile | $18.03 | $37,500 | $35,990 | $53,150 | 170 | 0.27 | 1.34 |
| 32 | New Jersey profile | $17.88 | $37,180 | $32,220 | $45,170 | 430 | 0.10 | 0.50 |
| 33 | Maryland profile | $17.77 | $36,960 | $33,530 | $40,090 | ** | ** | ** |
| 34 | Nevada profile | $17.60 | $36,610 | $31,270 | $47,510 | ** | ** | ** |
| 35 | Florida profile | $17.53 | $36,450 | $29,800 | $47,550 | 970 | 0.10 | 0.49 |
| 36 | Oklahoma profile | $17.32 | $36,030 | $35,680 | $45,490 | 1,140 | 0.67 | 3.33 |
| 37 | Virginia profile | $16.90 | $35,140 | $31,480 | $48,800 | 510 | 0.12 | 0.61 |
| 38 | Texas profile | $16.34 | $33,980 | $25,480 | $45,460 | 3,180 | 0.23 | 1.12 |
| 39 | Delaware profile | $15.02 | $31,240 | $31,240 | $39,530 | ** | ** | ** |
| 40 | Mississippi profile | $14.98 | $31,150 | $21,730 | $35,340 | 110 | 0.09 | 0.47 |
| 41 | Alabama profile | $13.02 | $27,080 | $23,000 | $45,200 | 250 | 0.12 | 0.59 |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (51-3090), with their national median annual wage.
Part of Production Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 51-3093 Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 51-3093, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 51-3093.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.