Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders Salary
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR make a median of $44,240 a year, or about $21.27 an hour. The range runs from $39K at the entry level to $62K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 91.35), which stretches that salary to about $48,429 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,347/month, about 44.6% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $44K get you in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers’s Regional Price Parity (91.35). 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
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers
Food cooking machine operators and tenders pay in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers tracks closely to the national median, $44K locally vs. $42K nationwide, a 6% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,347/month, which is 44.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 91.35 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 9% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for food cooking machine operators and tenders in metros near Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $35K | $34K |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $32K | $33K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $30K | $32K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $35K | $36K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR
Entry-level food cooking machine operators and tenders (10th percentile) start around $39K. Mid-career wages sit at $44K. Top earners bring in $62K or more, a $23K 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 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers numbers change.
Related careers in Production & Manufacturing
Frequently asked questions
Can a food cooking machine operators and tender afford a 2BR apartment alone in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $44K, rent takes 44.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,347/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for food cooking machine operators and tenders in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new food cooking machine operators and tenders typically earn — is $39K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,335/month. At HUD’s $1,347/month FMR, rent would take 58% 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 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $44K locally vs. $42K nationally, a 6% difference.
How does Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers compare to the national average for food cooking machine operators and tenders?
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers pays $44K median vs. the U.S. average of $42K — that’s +6%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 91.35), the purchasing-power equivalent is $48K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do food cooking machine operators and tenders make in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR?
The median is $44,240 a year, that works out to about $21 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $38,920, and experienced food cooking machine operators and tenders can clear $62,270. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $44K enough to live in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,002/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,347/month, which eats 44.9% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a food cooking machine operators and tenders salary go in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers?
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers has a Regional Price Parity of 91.35 (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 $48,429 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.