Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders Salary
Production Occupations · 20K employed in the U.S.
Median annual
$44,810
Median hourly
$22
Average annual
$45,930
Typical range
$33,250–$62,680
Pay distribution
10th to 90th percentile, with the median marked.
What this role pays
The median annual salary for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders is $44,810 as of May 2025, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. That works out to about $22 an hour at a full-time schedule.
Operate or tend food or tobacco roasting, baking, or drying equipment, including hearth ovens, kiln driers, roasters, char kilns, and vacuum drying equipment..
Most earn between $33,250 and $62,680 a year. There are roughly 20K people employed as food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders in the United States. Use the state and metro pages below to see how pay changes by location, and the calculator to convert any hourly or annual figure.
Salary calculator
Convert your pay and see where it lands for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders.
- Hourly
- $21.54
- Daily
- $172
- Weekly
- $862
- Bi-weekly
- $1,723
- Monthly
- $3,734
- Annual
- $44,810
$44,810 a year is around the 50th percentile for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenderss. The median is $44,810.
Highest-paying states
Median annual wage by state.
- 1North Dakota$77,300
- 2Maryland$60,170
- 3Colorado$59,590
- 4Virginia$59,260
- 5Alaska$55,280
- 6Nevada$54,950
- 7Washington$50,590
- 8Minnesota$50,340
- 9Maine$50,220
- 10Pennsylvania$49,660
- 11New York$49,020
- 12Wisconsin$48,560
Top-paying metro areas
Median annual wage by metro area.
- 1Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD$78,750
- 2Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$62,890
- 3Modesto, CA$61,130
- 4Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$60,230
- 5Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$60,170
- 6Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$56,270
- 7Appleton, WI$55,400
- 8Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV$54,950
- 9Sioux City, IA-NE-SD$52,650
- 10Hanford-Corcoran, CA$51,160
- 11Yakima, WA$50,840
- 12Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY$50,800
Related job titles
Employers advertise Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders roles under these titles.
Related occupations
- Food Batchmakers$42,290
- Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders$41,590
- Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$51,610
- Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders$48,040
- Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders$43,530
- Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders$41,330
- Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products$35,730
- Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,540
What a Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders does
- Set temperature and time controls, light ovens, burners, driers, or roasters, and start equipment, such as conveyors, cylinders, blowers, driers, or pumps.
- Weigh or measure products, using scale hoppers or scale conveyors.
- Read work orders to determine quantities and types of products to be baked, dried, or roasted.
- Observe flow of materials and listen for machine malfunctions, such as jamming or spillage, and notify supervisors if corrective actions fail.
- Record production data, such as weight and amount of product processed, type of product, and time and temperature of processing.
- Operate or tend equipment that roasts, bakes, dries, or cures food items such as cocoa and coffee beans, grains, nuts, and bakery products.
- Observe, feel, taste, or otherwise examine products during and after processing to ensure conformance to standards.
- Observe temperature, humidity, pressure gauges, and product samples and adjust controls, such as thermostats and valves, to maintain prescribed operating conditions for specific stages.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders make?
- The median annual wage for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders is $44,810 ($22 per hour). Pay ranges from about $33,250 at the 10th percentile to $62,680 at the 90th percentile.
- What is the average salary for a Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders?
- The average (mean) annual salary is $45,930, which is higher than the median because a small number of high earners pull the average up.
- Which state pays Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenderss the most?
- North Dakota has the highest median annual wage for this occupation at $77,300.
- Is Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders a growing occupation?
- BLS employment data for May 2025 counts about 20K people in this occupation. Projected growth is published separately in the BLS Employment Projections program.
- What does a Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders do?
- Set temperature and time controls, light ovens, burners, driers, or roasters, and start equipment, such as conveyors, cylinders, blowers, driers, or pumps.; Weigh or measure products, using scale hoppers or scale conveyors.; Read work orders to determine quantities and types of products to be baked, dried, or roasted..