51
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders is a notable career in the 51 category. This page provides verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0 (2024), helping you compare Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders against similar careers and make data-driven decisions.
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13
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13
| soc | 51-3093 |
| title | Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders |
| onet code | 51-3093.00 |
| description | Operate or tend cooking equipment, such as steam cooking vats, deep fry cookers, pressure cookers, kettles, and boilers, to prepare food products. |
| job zone | 2 |
| major group | 51 |
| tot emp | 27,660 |
| a mean | 41,930 |
| a median | 40,550 |
| a pct10 | 30,540 |
| a pct25 | 35,310 |
| a pct75 | 47,420 |
| a pct90 | 54,170 |
| h mean | 20 |
| h median | 19 |
The day-to-day work of a food cooking machine operators and tenders typically centers on clean, wash, and sterilize equipment and cooking area, using water hoses, cleaning or sterilizing solutions, or rinses. Every task listed below is classified as Core in O*NET — they collectively define the role. Task descriptions below are quoted from the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET 29.0 occupation profile.
Workers in this occupation rely most on Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, and Operation and Control. Across the top 6 skills, the average O*NET importance score is 3.14 out of 5 — moderately weighted for this role. Importance reflects how essential each skill is for adequate job performance.
Among working food cooking machine operators and tenders, the most common entry qualification is a High School Diploma (85.9%). Bachelor's-degree-or-higher credentials are reported by 0% of incumbents. Most workers enter without a four-year degree, making this a relatively accessible career path.
Median annual pay is highest in Nebraska at $50,020 and lowest in Alabama at $26,200 — a 1.9× spread. The top five states (Nebraska, Colorado, Michigan, Washington, Minnesota) average $48,766. Figures reflect BLS OEWS May 2024 state-level wage estimates; percentiles shown are for full-time wage-earners in each state.
| State | Median | Mean | 10th % | 90th % | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | $50,020 | $47,960 | $35,670 | $55,910 | 400 |
| Colorado | $49,830 | $49,940 | $38,780 | $61,100 | 240 |
| Michigan | $48,070 | $48,160 | $39,240 | $59,140 | 720 |
| Washington | $48,020 | $47,120 | $37,270 | $54,810 | 320 |
| Minnesota | $47,890 | $46,020 | $36,100 | $52,330 | 380 |
| New Mexico | $47,250 | $45,050 | $33,800 | $48,100 | 290 |
| Idaho | $46,470 | $49,170 | $34,980 | $69,680 | 780 |
| New York | $46,360 | $46,020 | $33,550 | $58,400 | 960 |
| Iowa | $45,910 | $46,500 | $41,830 | $49,970 | 1,000 |
| Kansas | $45,580 | $45,300 | $34,550 | $52,240 | 710 |
| Tennessee | $45,040 | $44,590 | $29,300 | $54,280 | 1,730 |
| California | $44,720 | $46,260 | $36,070 | $59,370 | 2,340 |
| Massachusetts | $43,090 | $41,230 | $33,770 | $48,070 | 450 |
| Illinois | $42,890 | $44,270 | $35,830 | $53,000 | 920 |
| Oregon | $42,430 | $42,910 | $36,190 | $53,970 | 600 |
| Connecticut | $42,390 | $41,630 | $32,640 | $48,760 | 80 |
| Indiana | $41,600 | $43,000 | $31,460 | $50,550 | 690 |
| Wisconsin | $40,360 | $44,680 | $37,840 | $58,390 | 1,050 |
| Kentucky | $39,770 | $42,020 | $35,140 | $51,330 | 340 |
| Ohio | $38,740 | $41,530 | $32,620 | $52,750 | 1,330 |
| Pennsylvania | $38,570 | $41,390 | $33,380 | $52,870 | 1,350 |
| Georgia | $38,260 | $38,210 | $28,080 | $50,080 | 440 |
| Maryland | $38,190 | $39,010 | $31,450 | $47,670 | 260 |
| South Dakota | $38,070 | $39,650 | $29,900 | $47,310 | 110 |
| Arkansas | $37,770 | $39,840 | $33,190 | $47,390 | 260 |
| Utah | $37,610 | $41,140 | $29,210 | $51,210 | 520 |
| Louisiana | $37,570 | $39,850 | $17,620 | $58,930 | — |
| North Carolina | $37,440 | $38,860 | $29,800 | $44,980 | 580 |
| South Carolina | $36,870 | $37,730 | $36,730 | $44,560 | 560 |
| Virginia | $36,860 | $37,730 | $30,720 | $47,220 | 730 |
| Maine | $36,710 | $39,020 | $34,860 | $49,980 | 250 |
| New Jersey | $36,100 | $39,220 | $31,470 | $49,100 | 650 |
| Missouri | $35,940 | $42,980 | $27,900 | $84,150 | 700 |
| New Hampshire | $35,250 | $34,300 | $29,510 | $43,720 | 30 |
| Arizona | $33,560 | $38,650 | $31,200 | $50,370 | 700 |
| Florida | $33,280 | $35,940 | $27,930 | $47,530 | 880 |
| Texas | $33,150 | $33,750 | $26,770 | $43,040 | 2,390 |
| Mississippi | $32,260 | $32,170 | $21,030 | $43,010 | 140 |
| Alabama | $26,200 | $28,270 | $22,260 | $36,240 | 320 |
Recruiters and job boards use several alternate titles for food cooking machine operators and tenders. Knowing these variants widens your job search — listings for Bakery Fryer or Blanching Machine Operator frequently describe the same role. The list below is a sample of the most common industry variants.
This data helps you understand how Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders compares to others in the 51 category. Use it to make informed decisions based on verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0.
careers with the closest data values to Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders
The CertifyWize editorial team aggregates and verifies careers data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0. Every statistic on this site is cross-referenced against the official source before publication, with quarterly re-verification cycles.
Read our full methodology or contact us with corrections.
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