Food Batchmakers
Median $42,290
Occupation · SOC 51-3091
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders: pay and where the jobs are
What food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$44,810 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $45,930
- Median hourly wage
- $21.54
- Mean hourly wage
- $22.08
- Employment
- 20,370
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-3091.
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How much do food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders make?
The median annual wage for food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders was $44,810 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $33,250 and the highest-paid 10% more than $62,680. As an hourly rate, the median is $21.54. About 20,370 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in North Dakota ($77,300), Maryland ($60,170) and Colorado ($59,590). North Dakota also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $33,250 | $15.98 | $2,771 | $2,408 |
| 25th percentile | $37,540 | $18.05 | $3,128 | $2,695 |
| Median | $44,810 | $21.54 | $3,734 | $3,182 |
| 75th percentile | $50,680 | $24.37 | $4,223 | $3,575 |
| 90th percentile | $62,680 | $30.14 | $5,223 | $4,379 |
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders: pay by state
44 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$70,777 take-home in national prices
2
$46,687 take-home in national prices
3
$46,467 take-home in national prices
Where a median food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tender paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | 30 | $77,300 | $47,090 | $77,320 | $62,962 | $70,777 |
| Maryland | 200 | $60,170 | $39,340 | $78,750 | $48,035 | $45,765 |
| Colorado | 500 | $59,590 | $38,640 | $74,420 | $47,885 | $46,467 |
| Virginia | 270 | $59,260 | $34,790 | $84,520 | $47,202 | $46,687 |
| Alaska | 30 | $55,280 | $40,970 | $57,200 | $46,326 | $45,259 |
| Nevada | 130 | $54,950 | $44,910 | $65,260 | $46,332 | $46,342 |
| Washington | 720 | $50,590 | $37,500 | $73,290 | $42,127 | $39,367 |
| Minnesota | 1,120 | $50,340 | $41,750 | $71,010 | $40,507 | $41,073 |
| Maine | 100 | $50,220 | $40,130 | $62,680 | $40,569 | $41,802 |
| Pennsylvania | 540 | $49,660 | $33,500 | $61,290 | $40,522 | $41,531 |
| New York | 1,370 | $49,020 | $35,690 | $61,150 | $39,275 | $36,392 |
| Wisconsin | 540 | $48,560 | $38,120 | $60,740 | $39,692 | $42,183 |
| Kentucky | 340 | $48,540 | $27,690 | $64,470 | $39,601 | $43,923 |
| Idaho | 430 | $48,250 | $37,910 | $55,860 | $39,500 | $41,364 |
| Michigan | 700 | $48,240 | $35,870 | $62,170 | $39,141 | $40,680 |
| Iowa | 660 | $47,960 | $36,480 | $63,340 | $39,545 | $45,060 |
| Utah | 130 | $47,940 | $37,550 | $52,060 | $39,146 | $39,596 |
| Oregon | 500 | $46,250 | $35,900 | $65,010 | $36,149 | $34,974 |
| California | 1,630 | $45,600 | $35,820 | $62,020 | $37,420 | $33,797 |
| Massachusetts | 190 | $45,400 | $41,360 | $54,390 | $36,400 | $34,419 |
| Hawaii | 90 | $45,390 | $38,740 | $48,760 | $36,731 | $33,407 |
| Arkansas | 580 | $45,080 | $37,270 | $49,960 | $37,221 | $42,814 |
| South Dakota | 120 | $45,040 | $37,040 | $60,220 | $38,370 | $43,313 |
| Kansas | 220 | $44,550 | $37,080 | $47,130 | $36,290 | $40,291 |
| Ohio | 910 | $44,190 | $33,280 | $47,090 | $36,915 | $39,790 |
| Missouri | 1,030 | $43,460 | $33,380 | $53,910 | $35,995 | $39,634 |
| Nebraska | 440 | $43,410 | $37,770 | $58,330 | $35,964 | $39,915 |
| Indiana | 260 | $43,370 | $36,080 | $61,090 | $35,778 | $38,335 |
| Arizona | 90 | $43,010 | $35,270 | $58,630 | $36,057 | $35,815 |
| Oklahoma | 370 | $42,390 | $30,150 | $46,540 | $34,878 | $39,705 |
| Connecticut | 60 | $41,720 | $34,010 | $48,250 | $34,001 | $32,816 |
| Vermont | 80 | $40,990 | $40,260 | $54,070 | $34,176 | $34,889 |
| South Carolina | 140 | $40,000 | $33,810 | $50,220 | $33,823 | $36,078 |
| Tennessee | 350 | $39,130 | $31,510 | $55,090 | $33,621 | $36,596 |
| Louisiana | 80 | $38,440 | $26,920 | $47,530 | $32,300 | $36,618 |
| Illinois | 440 | $38,230 | $36,300 | $56,710 | $31,150 | $31,163 |
| Georgia | 290 | $37,390 | $30,860 | $55,960 | $31,106 | $32,303 |
| New Jersey | 630 | $37,140 | $34,880 | $45,560 | $31,126 | $28,607 |
| Texas | 1,800 | $37,140 | $26,840 | $49,360 | $32,022 | $32,993 |
| Mississippi | 60 | $37,030 | $33,230 | $43,490 | $31,184 | $35,864 |
| North Carolina | 1,510 | $35,980 | $27,230 | $77,980 | $30,163 | $31,977 |
| New Mexico | 70 | $35,480 | $31,680 | $44,960 | $30,130 | $32,675 |
| Montana | 130 | $35,360 | $31,960 | $49,260 | $29,687 | $31,366 |
| Florida | 360 | $35,340 | $27,510 | $48,120 | $30,576 | $29,566 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-3091. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.