Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders Salary: $47,051 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 19,500 food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders nationally earn a mean of $47,051. Employment in the series shown rose about 46% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.1% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders: what the data shows
Common questions about food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders?
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-3091.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 19,500 workers.
What does a food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Controlling Machines and Processes, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders make?
BLS national median annual wage: $42,730 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $47,051 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,345 |
| 25th percentile | $39,059 |
| Median (50th) | $46,312 |
| 75th percentile | $50,827 |
| 90th percentile | $61,671 |
What education do you need?
For Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Operation and Control, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Quality Control Analysis, and knowledge areas including Production and Processing, English Language, Public Safety and Security, Food Production. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.1% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -5.4%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -10.5%.
Current U.S. headcount: 19,500.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenderss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 19,500 | 20.0% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 19,500 | 20.0% |
| Manufacturing | 14,880 | 15.3% |
| Food Manufacturing | 13,920 | 14.3% |
| Other Food Manufacturing | 4,790 | 4.9% |
| Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing | 2,850 | 2.9% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products | 26,870 | $35,430 |
| Food Batchmakers | 171,660 | $40,790 |
| Food Preparation Workers | 888,770 | $34,220 |
| Food Scientists and Technologists | 14,370 | $85,310 |
| Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders | 27,660 | $40,550 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | 1,187,460 | $42,010 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other | 89,580 | $34,830 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders workforce.
Employment Over Time
19,500 Workforce in 2023
The Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$47,051 Average Wage
In 2023, Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders earned an average of $47,051.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders.
Salary distribution for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders.
Employment Growth Projections
-1.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
5,772 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -5.4%
5,461 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -10.5%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders.
Wage Trends by Industry
1.6% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 1,200 employees, $48,265 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 240 employees, $47,804 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 120 employees, $42,291 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 100 employees, $55,013 avg wage
- Stockton-Lodi MSA: 100 employees, $43,317 avg wage
- Modesto MSA: 90 employees, $53,505 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 80 employees, $48,785 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 80 employees, $55,047 avg wage
- Visalia MSA: 70 employees, $48,067 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 60 employees, $39,705 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 60 employees, $44,774 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders.
Diversity
Demographic information on Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders in 2023 was 19,500 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders in 2023 were Engineering, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders workers.
Education level distribution for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders.
Skills
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders need many skills, but most especially Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Operation and Control, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension.
Required skills for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders include Production and Processing, English Language, Public Safety and Security, Food Production, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders include Near Vision, Problem Sensitivity, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Oral Comprehension, Category Flexibility.
Required abilities for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders.
Daily Activities
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders spend their time on activities such as Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Controlling Machines and Processes, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.
Most important work activities for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders.
About
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders
The average yearly wage for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders was $47,051 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-3091 - Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders reports an average salary of $47,051.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 19,500 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -1.1%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.