BLS metro-level wage data places Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders pay in Stockton-Lodi, CA at a median of $51,560 per year ($24.79/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $41,590, Stockton-Lodi pays +24% above, signaling either concentrated employer demand, a cost-of-living premium, or both. Approximately 70 food cooking machine operators and tenderss are employed across the Stockton-Lodi MSA in SOC 51-3093.

The Stockton-Lodi pay distribution spans from $35,510 at the 10th percentile to $53,340 at the 90th — a 1.5× 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 $44,270 and the 75th at $53,340, so half of Stockton-Lodi-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 Stockton-Lodi, CA 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 CA data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.