Salary guide, May 2025
Food Process Operator pay, United States
Manufacturing Headhunters uses the published BLS OEWS figures below. They describe the mapped occupation and area, not an individual offer.
This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.
The median annual wage for Food Processing Workers, All Other in the United States was $39,680 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $36,410 and $44,130.
Also searched as: Kettle / Cook Operator, Pasteurizer Operator, Retort Operator, Fryer / Oven Operator, Batch Maker. These titles share this page because BLS reports them under one occupation.
Broader occupation · SOC 51-3099 Food Processing Workers, All Other
The Food Process Operator title maps to the published occupation. BLS does not separate this process, credential, shift or plant-specific title from other work in the occupation.
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $32,210 | $36,410 | $39,680 | $44,130 | $47,950 |
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $15.49 | $17.51 | $19.08 | $21.22 | $23.05 |
BLS estimated 65,000 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 51-3099 Food Processing Workers, All Other, U.S.. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.
How does pay compare in the target metros?
| Metro | Median | 25th to 75th | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $41,740 | $38,380 to $50,430 | 260 | 0.22 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $39,670 | $37,660 to $49,610 | 120 | 0.2 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $39,290 | $38,430 to $46,140 | 120 | 0.2 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $48,600 | $38,610 to $48,600 | 470 | 1.5 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $34,790 | $33,320 to $45,250 | 800 | 0.2 |
| Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $34,790 | $33,320 to $45,250 | 800 | 0.2 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $37,910 | $34,800 to $43,600 | 960 | 0.57 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $42,840 | $39,660 to $48,580 | 1,150 | 0.61 |
Rank every metro for Food Process Operator
What should you know about pay by manufacturing industry, United States?
Same BLS occupation, national estimates for each manufacturing industry (NAICS) BLS publishes, May 2025. Industry names are BLS labels. Nested NAICS rows overlap; they are not independent samples and must not be added together. Identical source rows repeated at different publication levels appear once.
- Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing (NAICS 312000)$49,770
- Food Manufacturing (NAICS 311000)$40,310
- Chemical Manufacturing (NAICS 325000)$35,570
Bars compare up to 15 non-overlapping 3-digit manufacturing subsectors with exact annual medians. More detailed scopes remain in the table, identified by code and publication level.
| NAICS / scope | Industry | Employment | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31-33 · sector | Manufacturing | 48,020 | $36,600 | $40,310 | $44,450 |
| 311000 · 3-digit | Food Manufacturing | 47,630 | $36,600 | $40,310 | $44,420 |
| 311600 · 4-digit | Animal Slaughtering and Processing | 28,140 | $36,800 | $40,320 | $43,610 |
| 311900 · 4-digit | Other Food Manufacturing | 7,620 | $36,180 | $37,560 | $42,120 |
| 311400 · 4-digit | Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing | 3,900 | $39,720 | $44,340 | $46,530 |
| 311800 · 4-digit | Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing | 3,850 | $34,950 | $41,970 | $48,050 |
| 311700 · 4-digit | Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging | 1,440 | $30,380 | $37,290 | $42,980 |
| 311500 · 4-digit | Dairy Product Manufacturing | 1,090 | $48,230 | $50,960 | $56,570 |
| 311300 · 4-digit | Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing | 810 | $33,170 | $38,170 | $52,780 |
| 311100 · 4-digit | Animal Food Manufacturing | 580 | $36,350 | $46,990 | $52,000 |
| 312000 · 3-digit | Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing | 210 | $48,880 | $49,770 | $51,590 |
| 312100 · 4-digit | Beverage Manufacturing | 210 | $48,880 | $49,770 | $51,590 |
| 311200 · 4-digit | Grain and Oilseed Milling | 190 | $36,300 | $44,230 | $64,090 |
| 325000 · 3-digit | Chemical Manufacturing | 90 | $31,740 | $35,570 | $36,820 |
| 325400 · 4-digit | Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing | 90 | $31,740 | $35,570 | $36,820 |
What should you know about manufacturing pay mix?
For Food Process Operator, write the straight-time rate separately from shift coverage and extra hours. OEWS measures straight-time gross wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. It includes base rate, guaranteed pay, commissions and production bonuses. It excludes overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits.
An attendance bonus is not a production bonus; confirm its purpose and treatment rather than adding every bonus to the BLS figure. Skills-based pay steps affect the base rate when they are part of straight-time pay; BLS does not publish a separate rate for each plant's skill grade. Ask whether a tool allowance is expense reimbursement or wage pay. OEWS does not publish a separate tool-allowance component. Keep these items separate in the offer so the published wage is not mistaken for the whole package.
Pay mix here means how published medians for this one BLS occupation differ across manufacturing industries and against the all-industry median. It does not split pay into base, incentive or overtime. BLS wages are straight-time gross pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials and nonproduction bonuses.
What should you know about two BLS releases?
| Release period | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | $35,360 | $38,420 | $43,020 |
| May 2025 | $36,410 | $39,680 | $44,130 |
These are two separate BLS estimates from different survey panels. The workers and employers behind them differ, so the gap is not like-for-like pay for the same workers and is not a growth rate. We show no percentage change.
What should you know about supervisory and worker occupations?
BLS publishes these as separate occupations. Pay for one is not a pay step for the other.
- Supervisor occupation: Production Supervisor pay (SOC 51-1011)
Recruiter's read. Qualitative, not BLS data.
What should you know about safe work in food plants?
Hot product, wet floors, moving augers and ammonia systems each carry hazards. We ask about lockout, burn prevention, slip control and chemical use. We also ask how they handled steam or hot oil. Calm, specific answers show good habits.
What should you know about questions?
Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
What is the median pay for a Food Process Operator?
The median annual wage for Food Processing Workers, All Other in the United States was $39,680 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $36,410 and $44,130. This is the broader occupation BLS publishes, not a figure for this exact title.
What does the 10th percentile mean here?
10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than $32,210. 90% earned less than $47,950.
Does this include overtime or bonuses?
Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
Is this the pay for a Food Process Operator at a plant?
The Food Process Operator title maps to the published occupation. BLS does not separate this process, credential, shift or plant-specific title from other work in the occupation. These are occupation estimates across all industries, not an offer for a particular manufacturing title.
How many people work in this occupation?
BLS estimated 65,000 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
What should you know about related?
What does this data mean for your opening?
The Food Process Operator position, mapped to SOC 51-3099, reflects the varied nature of the food processing industry. For Food Process Operator in the United States, releases are separate survey estimates. The May 2025 median is $39,680; the May 2024 median is $38,420. Their arithmetic difference is $1,260.
They are not the same workers' raises and do not establish a pay trend or its cause. With a P25 of $36,410 and a P75 of $44,130, the middle-band width stands at $7,720. This indicates a relatively tight compensation structure nationally for workers involved in tasks like thermal process control and managing critical control points. These roles often require specialized knowledge, such as completion of Better Process Control School for retort or aseptic operations, yet this certification is not captured as a distinct variable in the published wage figures.
Regional data shows that the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro reports a median of $37,280, while the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell area sits at $36,660. Both areas show different employment concentrations. The Atlanta market, with a location quotient of 1.59, suggests a high density of food processing activity compared to the national average. Despite this concentration, the median wage in Atlanta remains slightly lower than the national median. These variations demonstrate that while local demand is high, the overall pay remains tethered to the broader, non-specific occupational definitions provided by the BLS.
National industry data highlights that Dairy Product Manufacturing pays a median of $50,960, while Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing reports $49,770. These sectors frequently require the specific technical rigor mentioned in our screening process, such as allergen changeovers and retort compliance. Because these figures are national industry medians, they do not account for the specific equipment or plant-scale operational differences that might exist. Hiring managers must remember that the BLS does not isolate the operator role from other food processing support positions. Consequently, the provided wage ranges are best used as a baseline. They do not capture the added value of specific certifications like aseptic processing, which often command higher pay rates than the occupation-wide average suggests.
Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?
The industry medians of $50,960 for dairy and $49,770 for beverage represent broad national averages. For Food Process Operator in the United States, percentiles describe the wage distribution of the mapped occupation. The published middle interval is $36,410 to $44,130 annually.
What does the 1.59 location quotient in Atlanta suggest for hiring?
A 1.59 location quotient indicates that Atlanta has a significantly higher concentration of food processing roles than the national average. This higher density of firms often creates more active recruitment competition.
Are the industry medians accurate for specialized aseptic roles?
The industry medians of $50,960 for dairy and $49,770 for beverage represent broad national averages. For Food Process Operator in the United States, percentiles describe the wage distribution of the mapped occupation. The published middle interval is $36,410 to $44,130 annually. They do not assign pay to plant size, seniority, credentials or job complexity. Assess duties and candidate requirements separately; these rows do not measure a premium for them.
How should managers account for the $7,720 middle-band width?
The $7,720 range provides a guide for differentiating between newly trained staff and those with significant experience in high-compliance processing. Managers should align their offers within this band based on the candidate's mastery of thermal process controls.
Related recruiting or pay page · Related wage comparison 1 · Data methodology · Related wage comparison 3 · Related wage comparison 4