Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 51-3091 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$44,803
$21.54/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders is $44,803 per year ($21.54/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $37,544 and $50,690 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $62,691 per year. There are approximately 20,370 food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Operate or tend food or tobacco roasting, baking, or drying equipment, including hearth ovens, kiln driers, roasters, char kilns, and vacuum drying equipment.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+0.6%
Little or no change
Annual openings
2K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
21K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
No formal educational credential
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Other Food Manufacturing
NAICS 311900
5K
$45,090
Animal Slaughtering and Processing
NAICS 311600
3K
$44,550
Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing
NAICS 311800
3K
$42,390
Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing
NAICS 311400
2K
$39,080
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4244 and 4248 only)
NAICS 4240A1
1K
$46,680
Wage range across top 5 industries: $39,080 to $46,680 (19% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$15.98
$33,238
P25
$18.05
$37,544
P50MEDIAN
$21.54
$44,803
P75
$24.37
$50,690
P90
$30.14
$62,691
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · manufacturing sector
Stable
Openings Rate
3.5%
Quits Rate
1.4%
Manufacturing openings ticked up to 462K (+19K) in March, with the rate at 3.5%. Hires rose to 310K. The sector has stabilized after late-2025 softening.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders salary?
The national median salary for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders is $44,803 per year ($21.54/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $37,544 and $50,690 annually.
How much do top-earning food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders make?
The 90th percentile salary for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders is $62,691 per year ($30.14/hr). The 75th percentile is $50,690 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders?
Entry-level Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders (10th percentile) earn approximately $33,238 per year ($15.98/hr). The 25th percentile is $37,544 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
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