What is the typical salary range for a Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders?

Pay typically falls between $37,500 and $49,000 per year depending on experience, location, industry, and organization size.

Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders Salary: $44,000 Average

Home › Production › Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders

Average base salary

$44,000 / year

≈ $3,650 per month · $21.15 per hour

Location

25th percentile
$37,500Average
$44,00075th percentile
$49,000

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.

About this role

Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders is a professional role in the Production job family, focused on Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders work. Pay for this title reflects both its level and its scope; see our Title Level and Organization Responsibility guides for how WePayFairly defines them.

How this role compares

Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders pays 20% below the average across 105 roles in the Production job family (family average $55,000).

Similar-paying roles in Production

Butchers and Meat Cutters$44,000

Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician$44,500

Slaughterers and Meat Packers$43,500

Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood$45,000

Food Batchmaker$45,500

Cutters and Trimmers, Hand$42,500

Production Workers, All Other$46,000

Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$42,000

Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders$46,500

Food Processing Workers, All Other$41,500

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders make?

The average base salary for a Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders in the United States is $44,000 per year, or about $21.15 per hour.

What is the typical salary range?

Pay typically falls between $37,500 and $49,000 per year (25th to 75th percentile) depending on experience, location, industry, and organization size.

How does this compare with other Production roles?

The Production job family averages $55,000 across 105 roles tracked by WePayFairly.

Need a defensible market price for this role?
WePayFairly data is compiled from published survey sources and maintained by compensation professionals.

Explore Market Data Our Methodology