Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders Salary
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders in Cedar Rapids, IA make a median of $63,690 a year, or about $30.62 an hour. The range runs from $40K at the entry level to $80K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 88.96), which stretches that salary to about $71,594 in buying power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $956/month, or 22.8% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $64K get you in Cedar Rapids?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Cedar Rapids’s Regional Price Parity (88.96). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About food cooking machine operators and tenders
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What this looks like in Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids sits well above the national pay line for food cooking machine operators and tenders, local pay runs about 53% higher than the U.S. median of $42K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $956/month, 22.9% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Regional Price Parity sits at 88.96 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 11% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Combined with manageable housing costs, Cedar Rapids offers a genuinely strong financial position for food cooking machine operators and tenderss at the median.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for food cooking machine operators and tenders in metros near Cedar Rapids, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Sioux City | $52K | $60K |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island | $48K | $54K |
| Dubuque | $50K | $57K |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $44K | $43K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Cedar Rapids, IA
Entry-level food cooking machine operators and tenders (10th percentile) start around $40K. Mid-career wages sit at $64K. Top earners bring in $80K or more, a $40K spread from bottom to top.
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $51K | +23% | 310 |
| Utah | $49K | +17% | 390 |
| Massachusetts | $48K | +15% | 170 |
| Iowa | $48K | +15% | 850 |
| Michigan | $47K | +14% | 380 |
| Minnesota | $47K | +14% | 1,410 |
| Colorado | $47K | +13% | 300 |
| Kansas | $46K | +10% | 750 |
| New York | $46K | +10% | 1,300 |
| Tennessee | $46K | +10% | 1,820 |
| Nebraska | $45K | +9% | 670 |
| Idaho | $45K | +8% | 790 |
| California | $45K | +8% | 2,010 |
| Oregon | $45K | +7% | 570 |
| Louisiana | $44K | +7% | 550 |
| Arizona | $44K | +6% | 560 |
| Indiana | $43K | +4% | 540 |
| Pennsylvania | $43K | +3% | 1,580 |
| Illinois | $43K | +3% | 2,460 |
| Missouri | $42K | +1% | 620 |
| Kentucky | $42K | +1% | 300 |
| Ohio | $41K | -1% | 980 |
| Arkansas | $40K | -3% | 330 |
| New Hampshire | $40K | -3% | 110 |
| Wisconsin | $40K | -4% | 850 |
| South Dakota | $39K | -6% | 120 |
| North Carolina | $39K | -6% | 770 |
| Connecticut | $39K | -7% | 60 |
| Georgia | $38K | -8% | 690 |
| South Carolina | $38K | -8% | 520 |
| Maine | $38K | -10% | 170 |
| New Jersey | $37K | -11% | 430 |
| Maryland | $37K | -11% | N/A |
| Nevada | $37K | -12% | N/A |
| Florida | $36K | -12% | 970 |
| Oklahoma | $36K | -13% | 1,140 |
| Virginia | $35K | -16% | 510 |
| Texas | $34K | -18% | 3,180 |
| Delaware | $31K | -25% | N/A |
| Mississippi | $31K | -25% | 110 |
| Alabama | $27K | -35% | 250 |
Showing 1–10 of 41 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track food cooking machine operators and tenders salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Cedar Rapids numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a food cooking machine operators and tender afford a 2BR apartment alone in Cedar Rapids?
Yes — at the median salary of $64K, rent takes 22.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $956/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for food cooking machine operators and tenders in Cedar Rapids?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new food cooking machine operators and tenders typically earn — is $40K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,404/month. At HUD’s $956/month FMR, rent would take 40% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is food cooking machine operators and tender a high-paying job in Cedar Rapids?
Local pay is 53% above the national median — $64K here vs. $42K nationally.
How does Cedar Rapids compare to the national average for food cooking machine operators and tenders?
Cedar Rapids pays $64K median vs. the U.S. average of $42K — that’s +53%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 88.96), the purchasing-power equivalent is $72K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do food cooking machine operators and tenders make in Cedar Rapids, IA?
The median is $63,690 a year, that works out to about $31 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $40,060, and experienced food cooking machine operators and tenders can clear $80,480. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $64K enough to live in Cedar Rapids?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,166/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $956/month, which eats 22.9% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a food cooking machine operators and tenders salary go in Cedar Rapids?
Cedar Rapids has a Regional Price Parity of 88.96 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median food cooking machine operators and tenders salary is worth about $71,594 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do food cooking machine operators and tenders get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.