Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders in the U.S. is $44,810 ($21.54 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $44,810
- Mean annual wage
- $45,930
- Median hourly wage
- $21.54
- Employment
- 20,370
20,370 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $33,250 | $15.98 |
| 25th percentile | $37,540 | $18.05 |
| Median (50th) | $44,810 | $21.54 |
| 75th percentile | $50,680 | $24.37 |
| 90th percentile | $62,680 | $30.14 |
Highest-paying states for food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | $77,300 | 30 |
| Maryland | $60,170 | 200 |
| Colorado | $59,590 | 500 |
| Virginia | $59,260 | 270 |
| Alaska | $55,280 | 30 |
| Nevada | $54,950 | 130 |
| Washington | $50,590 | 720 |
| Minnesota | $50,340 | 1,120 |
| Maine | $50,220 | 100 |
| Pennsylvania | $49,660 | 540 |
Lowest-paying states
- Florida: $35,340 median annual wage
- Montana: $35,360 median annual wage
- New Mexico: $35,480 median annual wage
- North Carolina: $35,980 median annual wage
- Mississippi: $37,030 median annual wage
About this occupation
Operate or tend food or tobacco roasting, baking, or drying equipment, including hearth ovens, kiln driers, roasters, char kilns, and vacuum drying equipment.
Typical tasks
- Weigh or measure products, using scale hoppers or scale conveyors.
- Observe temperature, humidity, pressure gauges, and product samples and adjust controls, such as thermostats and valves, to maintain prescribed operating conditions for specific stages.
- Observe flow of materials and listen for machine malfunctions, such as jamming or spillage, and notify supervisors if corrective actions fail.
- Observe, feel, taste, or otherwise examine products during and after processing to ensure conformance to standards.
- Set temperature and time controls, light ovens, burners, driers, or roasters, and start equipment, such as conveyors, cylinders, blowers, driers, or pumps.
- Take product samples during or after processing for laboratory analyses.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: No formal educational credential
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 11.8% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 40.1% |
| Some college, no degree | 18.8% |
| Associate's degree | 11.1% |
| Bachelor's degree | 16.7% |
| Master's degree | 1.5% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Related occupations
- Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$44,650
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$74,450
- Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$48,570
- Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$53,750
- Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$43,220
- Machinists$58,750
- Production Workers, All Other$40,110
- Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$45,850
About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.