Production Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 51-3093

Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders

Median pay sits 44% below the mid peer in Production Occupations (neighbors include Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators, Plant and System Operators, All Other, Chemical Plant and System Operators, Model Makers, Metal and Plastic).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders: Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators ($79K) , Plant and System Operators, All Other ($62K) , Chemical Plant and System Operators ($78K) , Model Makers, Metal and Plastic ($63K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 51-3093 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Clean, wash, and sterilize equipment and cooking area, using water hoses, cleaning or sterilizing solutions, or rinses
  2. 2. Read work orders, recipes, or formulas to determine cooking times and temperatures, and ingredient specifications
  3. 3. Observe gauges, dials, and product characteristics, and adjust controls to maintain appropriate temperature, pressure, and flow of ingred…
  4. 4. Measure or weigh ingredients, using scales or measuring containers
  5. 5. Tend or operate and control equipment, such as kettles, cookers, vats and tanks, and boilers, to cook ingredients or prepare products for…
  6. 6. Record production and test data, such as processing steps, temperature and steam readings, cooking time, batches processed, and test results
  7. 7. Set temperature, pressure, and time controls, and start conveyers, machines, or pumps
  8. 8. Activate agitators and paddles to mix or stir ingredients, stopping machines when ingredients are thoroughly mixed
  9. 9. Remove cooked material or products from equipment
  10. 10. Collect and examine product samples during production to test them for quality, color, content, consistency, viscosity, acidity, or speci…
  11. 11. Operate auxiliary machines and equipment, such as grinders, canners, and molding presses, to prepare or further process products
  12. 12. Pour, dump, or load prescribed quantities of ingredients or products into cooking equipment, manually or using a hoist

Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders: O*NET ranks Operations Monitoring first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 51-3093 - lead skill Operations Monitoring at 3.5 ; lead knowledge Production and Processing. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operations Monitoring 3.5
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 3.1
  3. 3. Monitoring 3.1
  4. 4. Operation and Control 3.1
  5. 5. Active Listening 3.0
  6. 6. Critical Thinking 3.0
  7. 7. Coordination 2.9
  8. 8. Complex Problem Solving 2.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Production and Processing 4.3
  2. 2. Food Production 3.8
  3. 3. Administration and Management 3.3
  4. 4. Education and Training 3.1
  5. 5. Mechanical 3.1
  6. 6. English Language 2.8
Pay vs Production Occupations peers
-44%
vs mid peer median $74,450
This role $41,590/yr
$42K
National median
↑ +1%
Growth 2024-2034
4,400
Annual openings
31,250
Estimated US jobs
Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators
Highest-pay peer · $79K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders

1. Massachusetts $47,960
2. Minnesota $47,250
3. Washington $51,100
4. Michigan $47,260
5. Tennessee $45,620
6. Utah $48,620
7. Iowa $47,900
8. Kansas $45,850
9. Colorado $46,900
10. New York $45,680

Other Production Occupations titles

  1. 1. Chemical Plant and System Operators $78,120
  2. 2. Model Makers, Metal and Plastic $63,340
  3. 3. Tool and Die Makers $64,050
  4. 4. Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers $68,120
  5. 5. Plant and System Operators, All Other $62,470
  6. 6. Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators $78,620

Among Production Occupations peers on this card, Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders sits 44% below the mid peer median ($74,450). Its own median is $41,590.

Employment Projections expect +1% change between 2024 and 2034 (slower than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 4,400 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Massachusetts at $47,960. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators at $78,620. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders pay-rank #83 in Production Occupations

On the Production Occupations median table (105 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders lands at #83, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders pays 44% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 51-3093

Massachusetts · top state for Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders

$48K published median

Minnesota · #2 state pay

$47K · behind Massachusetts

Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators

Highest-pay peer vs Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders · $79K

Plant and System Operators, All Other

Lower-pay peer beside Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders · $62K

Compare Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders

Against another occupation

Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders land on the Production Occupations median table? ▼
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders is pay-rank #83 of 105 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers ($42K), Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers ($42K), Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders ($41K), Food Batchmakers ($42K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do food cooking machine operators and tenders do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders. Leading ones include: 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 ingred…; Measure or weigh ingredients, using scales or measuring containers. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for food cooking machine operators and tenders? ▼
For SOC 51-3093, O*NET importance scores lead with Operations Monitoring (3.5), Reading Comprehension (3.1), Monitoring (3.1), Operation and Control (3.1). Knowledge areas emphasize Production and Processing, Food Production, Administration and Management. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $41,590 as the national median for Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders. The published 10th-90th range is $31,680 to $54,410. Beside Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators ($78,620), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders is +1%. Projected annual openings: about 4,400. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: slower than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders? ▼
Massachusetts ($47,960), Minnesota ($47,250), Washington ($51,100) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 51-3093. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics