Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders Salary
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders in Florida make a median of $36,450 a year, or about $17.53 an hour. The range runs from $30K at the entry level to $48K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.58), that's roughly $36,975 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,658/month, about 63.2% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Florida. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $36K get you in Florida?
About food cooking machine operators and tenders
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What this looks like in Florida
Pay for food cooking machine operators and tenders in Florida runs about 12% below the U.S. median of $42K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,658/month, which is 63.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.58) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for food cooking machine operators and tenderss.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Florida
Entry-level food cooking machine operators and tenders (10th percentile) start around $30K. Mid-career wages sit at $36K. Top earners bring in $48K or more, a $18K spread from bottom to top.
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders salary by metro in Florida
5 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeland-Winter Haven | $40K | +10% | 80 |
| Jacksonville | $37K | +1% | 90 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford | $37K | +0% | 200 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | $36K | -1% | 290 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | $36K | -2% | 160 |
Compare to other states
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BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Florida numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a food cooking machine operators and tender afford a 2BR apartment alone in Florida?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $36K, rent takes 63.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,658/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/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 Florida?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new food cooking machine operators and tenders typically earn — is $30K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,788/month. At HUD’s $1,658/month FMR, rent would take 93% 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 Florida?
Local pay runs 12% below the national median — $36K here vs. $42K nationally.
How does Florida compare to the national average for food cooking machine operators and tenders?
Florida pays $36K median vs. the U.S. average of $42K — that’s -12%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.58), the purchasing-power equivalent is $37K — below the national median.
How much do food cooking machine operators and tenders make in Florida?
The median is $36,450 a year, that works out to about $18 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $29,800, and experienced food cooking machine operators and tenders can clear $47,550. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $36K enough to live in Florida?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,610/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,658/month, which eats 63.5% 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 Florida?
Florida has a Regional Price Parity of 98.58 (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 $36,975 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.