Pay by state · 42 states
Food Cooking Machine Operator and Tender Salary by State (2026)
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders earn the most in Washington at $51,100 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $25,480 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $41,590. All 42 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $51,100Washington
- National median
- $41,590BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $25,480Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 42of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Food Cooking Machine Operator and Tender salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of food cooking machine operators and tenders OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WAWashington | $51,100 | $47,580 | $56,850 | 310 | $47,751 |
| 2 | UTUtah | $48,620 | $37,070 | $52,630 | 390 | $49,179 |
| 3 | MAMassachusetts | $47,960 | $41,030 | $50,250 | 170 | $45,349 |
| 4 | IAIowa | $47,900 | $46,380 | $49,880 | 850 | $54,579 |
| 5 | MIMichigan | $47,260 | $43,880 | $50,680 | 380 | $49,118 |
| 6 | MNMinnesota | $47,250 | $47,130 | $48,680 | 1,410 | $47,911 |
| 7 | COColorado | $46,900 | $44,050 | $51,440 | 300 | $45,511 |
| 8 | KSKansas | $45,850 | $43,360 | $47,050 | 750 | $50,906 |
| 9 | NYNew York | $45,680 | $41,590 | $55,740 | 1,300 | $42,327 |
| 10 | TNTennessee | $45,620 | $41,200 | $55,270 | 1,820 | $49,657 |
| 11 | NENebraska | $45,420 | $36,790 | $48,420 | 670 | $50,409 |
| 12 | IDIdaho | $45,120 | $38,520 | $59,310 | 790 | $47,249 |
| 13 | CACalifornia | $44,740 | $37,790 | $48,080 | 2,010 | $40,408 |
| 14 | OROregon | $44,530 | $38,940 | $46,990 | 570 | $43,082 |
| 15 | LALouisiana | $44,440 | $31,540 | $61,350 | 550 | $50,381 |
| 16 | AZArizona | $44,050 | $34,660 | $49,690 | 560 | $43,754 |
| 17 | INIndiana | $43,350 | $40,280 | $47,400 | 540 | $46,449 |
| 18 | PAPennsylvania | $42,710 | $37,160 | $47,050 | 1,580 | $43,773 |
| 19 | ILIllinois | $42,670 | $36,490 | $47,200 | 2,460 | $42,688 |
| 20 | MOMissouri | $42,160 | $36,520 | $48,600 | 620 | $46,423 |
| 21 | KYKentucky | $41,800 | $38,040 | $52,780 | 300 | $46,363 |
| 22 | OHOhio | $41,160 | $36,910 | $48,580 | 980 | $44,366 |
| 23 | ARArkansas | $40,480 | $38,180 | $46,310 | 330 | $46,562 |
| 24 | NHNew Hampshire | $40,440 | $36,330 | $40,440 | 110 | $38,823 |
| 25 | WIWisconsin | $40,000 | $39,300 | $50,600 | 850 | $42,510 |
| 26 | SDSouth Dakota | $39,270 | $33,050 | $42,860 | 120 | $44,330 |
| 27 | NCNorth Carolina | $39,070 | $30,150 | $44,250 | 770 | $41,420 |
| 28 | CTConnecticut | $38,880 | $35,760 | $48,380 | 60 | $37,525 |
| 29 | GAGeorgia | $38,440 | $36,260 | $43,020 | 690 | $39,920 |
| 30 | SCSouth Carolina | $38,220 | $38,030 | $38,320 | 520 | $40,768 |
| 31 | MEMaine | $37,500 | $37,140 | $49,830 | 170 | $38,640 |
| 32 | NJNew Jersey | $37,180 | $32,290 | $41,350 | 430 | $34,171 |
| 33 | MDMaryland | $36,960 | $36,500 | $39,790 | N/A | $35,214 |
| 34 | NVNevada | $36,610 | $31,680 | $36,610 | N/A | $36,618 |
| 35 | FLFlorida | $36,450 | $31,980 | $42,520 | 970 | $35,247 |
| 36 | OKOklahoma | $36,030 | $35,990 | $43,690 | 1,140 | $41,016 |
| 37 | VAVirginia | $35,140 | $31,720 | $41,990 | 510 | $34,756 |
| 38 | TXTexas | $33,980 | $29,580 | $37,100 | 3,180 | $35,010 |
| 39 | DEDelaware | $31,240 | $31,240 | $39,530 | N/A | $31,300 |
| 40 | MSMississippi | $31,150 | $31,110 | $34,240 | 110 | $35,824 |
| 41 | ALAlabama | $27,080 | $27,080 | $36,190 | 250 | $30,488 |
| 42 | PRPuerto Rico | $25,480 | $25,480 | $27,830 | 220 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders, that changes the ranking: Washington leads on raw pay at $51,100, while Iowa leads once prices are taken into account at $54,579.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Food Cooking Machine Operator and Tender pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders the most?
Washington reports the highest median wage for Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders at $51,100 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Utah ($48,620) and Massachusetts ($47,960).
Which state pays Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders at $25,480 a year, $25,620 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Iowa first at $54,579 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $47,900. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.