How much should I pay a food batchmakers in 2026?

A competitive 2026 offer for Food Batchmakers is $42,286 to $49,670 (market median to the 75th percentile). BLS ECI shows manufacturing wages growing about 3.3% a year, so budget a similar annual increase to stay at market.

Is a salary competitive for a food batchmakers?

Compare it to the BLS OEWS range: below $36,338 is below market, $42,286 to $49,670 is competitive, and above $49,670 is above market for Food Batchmakers.

How is food batchmakers pay changing in 2026?

Median pay for this role rose 3.7% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, roughly in line with the 3.3% wage growth of Manufacturing (BLS ECI). Manufacturing is running a 3.7% job-openings rate with quits at 1.5% (BLS JOLTS). The openings rate has drifted up from 3.4% to 3.7% over the past quarter.

Food Batchmakers Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks

SOC 51-3092 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data

Median Annual Salary

$42,286

$20.33/hr

Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026

Is this a competitive Food Batchmakers salary in 2026?

Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.

Check a salary or offer:$Competitive · ~P50

P10$32K

P25$36K

P50$42K

P75$50K

P90$59K

Drag the dot or type an amount above.

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Demand: STABLE. Demand is stable -- manufacturing openings are at 3.7% (JOLTS, June 2026). A standard market: pay near the median, no urgency premium needed.

📈

Merit budget: Wages in manufacturing are rising about 3.3% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.9-3.4% merit increase to hold this role at market.

Our read

For a competitive 2026 offer, target $42,286 to $49,670 (market median to the 75th percentile). Anchor on the median.

Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.

How Food Batchmakers pay is moving in 2026

Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI

Pay trend

Median pay for this role rose 3.7% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, roughly in line with the 3.3% wage growth of Manufacturing (BLS ECI).

Hiring demand · STABLE

Manufacturing is running a 3.7% job-openings rate with quits at 1.5% (BLS JOLTS). The openings rate has drifted up from 3.4% to 3.7% over the past quarter.

Pay spread

Top earners (P90) make about 1.8 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is narrower than typical, so pay is fairly standardized; small differences move a candidate across the market.

What changed recently

Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings eased to 3.7%, with nondurable goods driving the pullback. Quits steady at 1.5%.
Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: sector wages growing 3.3% per year, holding steady.

Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.

Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026

Next refresh: May 2027

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The national median salary for Food Batchmakers is $42,286 per year ($20.33/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $36,338 and $49,670 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $58,947 per year. There are approximately 174,520 food batchmakers employed in the United States.

About This Role

BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018

Set up and operate equipment that mixes or blends ingredients used in the manufacturing of food products. Includes candy makers and cheese makers.

Career Outlook

BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034

10-year growth

+6.9%

Faster than average

Annual openings

24K

per year, on avg

Workforce today

174K

as of 2024

Why those openings exist

5% from new growth95% from people leaving the role

Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.

Typical entry requirements

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

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	31K	$42,220
Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing NAICS 311800	28K	$40,530
Dairy Product Manufacturing NAICS 311500	25K	$48,700
Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing NAICS 311400	21K	$41,900
Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing NAICS 311300	20K	$42,380

Wage range across top 5 industries: $40,530 to $48,700 (20% spread)

Wage Percentiles

Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)

Percentile	Hourly Rate	Annual Salary
P10	$15.38	$31,990
P25	$17.47	$36,338
P50MEDIAN	$20.33	$42,286
P75	$23.88	$49,670
P90	$28.34	$58,947

Market Context Signal

JOLTS · manufacturing sector

Stable

Openings Rate

3.7%

Quits Rate

1.5%

Manufacturing openings eased to 481K (-36K) in June, rate 3.7%, with nondurable goods driving the pullback (-55K). Quits held at 1.5%. The sector remains stable.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average food batchmakers salary?

The national median salary for Food Batchmakers is $42,286 per year ($20.33/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $36,338 and $49,670 annually.

How much do top-earning food batchmakers make?

The 90th percentile salary for Food Batchmakers is $58,947 per year ($28.34/hr). The 75th percentile is $49,670 per year.

What is the entry-level salary for food batchmakers?

Entry-level Food Batchmakers (10th percentile) earn approximately $31,990 per year ($15.38/hr). The 25th percentile is $36,338 per year.

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Food Batchmakers Salary by State

Top 5 states by employment

Wisconsin18,040 workers Texas13,250 workers California12,560 workers Illinois12,320 workers New York8,460 workers

About This Data

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.

Next OEWS release: May 2027Verify on BLS.gov →

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