Data current as of August 2026 · sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET
Average base salary, Pennsylvania
$44,500 / year
≈ $3,700 per month · $21.39 per hour
BLS May 2025 state data for Pennsylvania · median $44,000
25th percentile
$38,500Average
$44,50075th percentile
$48,500
$38,500Average
$44,50075th percentile
$48,500
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.
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders salary by state
Alabama$32,500
Arizona$43,500
Arkansas$43,500
California$46,500
Colorado$50,500
Connecticut$43,500
Delaware$37,000
Florida$39,500
Georgia$41,000
Idaho$52,000
Illinois$44,000
Indiana$46,500
Iowa$50,000
Kansas$46,000
Kentucky$45,500
Louisiana$45,000
Maine$43,500
Maryland$39,000
Massachusetts$48,500
Michigan$50,000
Minnesota$49,500
Mississippi$33,000
Missouri$46,000
Nebraska$46,500
Nevada$38,000
New Hampshire$41,500
New Jersey$39,000
New York$49,000
North Carolina$39,500
Ohio$44,500
Oklahoma$40,500
Oregon$46,000
Pennsylvania$44,500
South Carolina$40,500
South Dakota$41,000
Tennessee$48,500
Texas$36,000
Utah$46,000
Virginia$39,000
Washington$53,000
Wisconsin$46,000
About this role
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders is a professional role within the function in the Production job family.
Pay for this title reflects both its level and its scope; see our Title Level and Organization Responsibility guides for how WePayFairly defines them.
What Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenderss do
Typical education: High School Diploma
- Clean, wash, and sterilize equipment and cooking area, using water hoses, cleaning or sterilizing solutions, or rinses.
- Read work orders, recipes, or formulas to determine cooking times and temperatures, and ingredient specifications.
- Observe gauges, dials, and product characteristics, and adjust controls to maintain appropriate temperature, pressure, and flow of ingredients.
- Measure or weigh ingredients, using scales or measuring containers.
- Tend or operate and control equipment, such as kettles, cookers, vats and tanks, and boilers, to cook ingredients or prepare products for further processing.
Top skills: Operations Monitoring Reading Comprehension Operation and Control Monitoring Critical Thinking Active Listening
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders pay by experience level
Entry level$33,000
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$37,500
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$43,000
Mid-career median pay
Senior$49,000
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$56,500
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
+0.6%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
4,400
projected openings per year
Growing slower than average
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders salary by industry
Food Manufacturing
25,020 workers
$45,000Other Food Manufacturing
6,930 workers
$45,500Animal Slaughtering and Processing
5,710 workers
$44,500Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing
5,450 workers
$45,500Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing
4,180 workers
$42,000Food Services and Drinking Places
2,990 workers
$40,500Restaurants and Other Eating Places
2,440 workers
$40,000Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods
1,600 workers
$41,500Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4244 and 4248 only)
1,580 workers
$41,500Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing
1,210 workers
$43,500National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
How this role compares
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders pays 21% below the average across 112 roles in the Production job family (family average $56,000).
Similar-paying roles in Production
Careers related to Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders
Food Batchmaker$45,500
Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$58,000
Baker$40,000
Related occupations from O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor.
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 $56,000 across 112 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.
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