Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders pay in the U.S.
$45,930avg. a year
$22.08 an hour · 20,370 employed
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders in the U.S. earn an average of $45,930 a year and a median of $44,810. Pay is highest in North Dakota ($63,860) and lowest in Florida ($36,500).
$44,810Median pay
$22.08Average hourly
+30%Avg. pay since 2020
20,370Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
130 jobs
North Dakota
$63,860
$30.70 an hour
2200 jobs
Maryland
$61,310
$29.48 an hour
3270 jobs
Virginia
$58,810
$28.27 an hour
4500 jobs
Colorado
$56,550
$27.19 an hour
5130 jobs
Nevada
$55,520
$26.69 an hour
61,120 jobs
Minnesota
$55,400
$26.64 an hour
7720 jobs
Washington
$53,090
$25.53 an hour
830 jobs
Alaska
$51,140
$24.59 an hour
9540 jobs
Pennsylvania
$50,450
$24.26 an hour
10100 jobs
Maine
$49,920
$24.00 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $42k$42k–$45k$45k–$49k$49k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $64,890 | $31.20 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $62,180 | $29.89 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $59,610 | $28.66 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $54,610 | $26.26 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $52,880 | $25.43 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $52,850 | $25.41 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $52,080 | $25.04 |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | $51,320 | $24.67 |
Related jobs
- Bakers$38,480
- Food Batchmakers$43,750
- Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$39,280
- Butchers and Meat Cutters$42,380
- Slaughterers and Meat Packers$41,770
- Food Processing Workers, All Other$40,300
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $51,140 | $55,280 | 30 |
| Arizona | $44,440 | $43,010 | 90 |
| Arkansas | $43,630 | $45,080 | 580 |
| California | $46,450 | $45,600 | 1,630 |
| Colorado | $56,550 | $59,590 | 500 |
| Connecticut | $43,050 | $41,720 | 60 |
| Florida | $36,500 | $35,340 | 360 |
| Georgia | $40,080 | $37,390 | 290 |
| Hawaii | $44,180 | $45,390 | 90 |
| Idaho | $46,590 | $48,250 | 430 |
| Illinois | $41,620 | $38,230 | 440 |
| Indiana | $45,130 | $43,370 | 260 |
| Iowa | $49,070 | $47,960 | 660 |
| Kansas | $44,790 | $44,550 | 220 |
| Kentucky | $48,790 | $48,540 | 340 |
| Louisiana | $38,760 | $38,440 | 80 |
| Maine | $49,920 | $50,220 | 100 |
| Maryland | $61,310 | $60,170 | 200 |
| Massachusetts | $46,790 | $45,400 | 190 |
| Michigan | $47,700 | $48,240 | 700 |
| Minnesota | $55,400 | $50,340 | 1,120 |
| Mississippi | $36,550 | $37,030 | 60 |
| Missouri | $43,170 | $43,460 | 1,030 |
| Montana | $38,500 | $35,360 | 130 |
| Nebraska | $46,180 | $43,410 | 440 |
| Nevada | $55,520 | $54,950 | 130 |
| New Jersey | $39,480 | $37,140 | 630 |
| New Mexico | $37,860 | $35,480 | 70 |
| New York | $48,970 | $49,020 | 1,370 |
| North Carolina | $43,350 | $35,980 | 1,510 |
| North Dakota | $63,860 | $77,300 | 30 |
| Ohio | $42,000 | $44,190 | 910 |
| Oklahoma | $40,890 | $42,390 | 370 |
| Oregon | $49,310 | $46,250 | 500 |
| Pennsylvania | $50,450 | $49,660 | 540 |
| South Carolina | $41,310 | $40,000 | 140 |
| South Dakota | $44,340 | $45,040 | 120 |
| Tennessee | $41,770 | $39,130 | 350 |
| Texas | $37,590 | $37,140 | 1,800 |
| Utah | $46,600 | $47,940 | 130 |
| Vermont | $45,460 | $40,990 | 80 |
| Virginia | $58,810 | $59,260 | 270 |
| Washington | $53,090 | $50,590 | 720 |
| Wisconsin | $48,950 | $48,560 | 540 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$46,330
1,190 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$48,060
460 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$42,080
440 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$40,250
420 jobsOmaha, NE-IA
$45,260
380 jobsMinneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
$52,080
340 jobsSan Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
$34,850
340 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$44,580
320 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders make?
The average is $45,930 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $44,810 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $22.08, and the median is $21.54 an hour.
Which state pays food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders the most?
North Dakota, with an average of $63,860 a year. The best-paying metro area is Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD at $64,890.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $33,250 a year, and the top 10% earn over $62,680.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 51-3091. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.