BLS metro-level wage data places Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders pay in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN at a median of $40,150 per year ($19.30/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $41,590, Louisville/Jefferson County pays 3% below, which typically tracks with a lower local cost of living or smaller specialized-employer cluster. Approximately 80 food cooking machine operators and tenderss are employed across the Louisville/Jefferson County MSA in SOC 51-3093.

The Louisville/Jefferson County pay distribution spans from $31,690 at the 10th percentile to $57,630 at the 90th — a 1.8× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $40,120 and the 75th at $43,030, so half of Louisville/Jefferson County-based food cooking machine operators and tenderss earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live — which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide KY data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.