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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
3.5%
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 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.
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.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.