Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders Salary
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders in Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV make a median of $33,280 a year, or about $16 an hour. The range runs from $33K at the entry level to $41K for experienced workers.
So what does $33K get you in Hagerstown-Martinsburg?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Hagerstown-Martinsburg’s Regional Price Parity (94.2). 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 Hagerstown-Martinsburg
Pay for food cooking machine operators and tenders in Hagerstown-Martinsburg runs about 20% below the U.S. median of $42K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,233/month, which is 54.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 94.2 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 6% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for food cooking machine operators and tenderss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for food cooking machine operators and tenders in metros near Hagerstown-Martinsburg, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson | $37K | , |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $39K | , |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | $40K | , |
| York-Hanover | $46K | , |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV
Entry-level food cooking machine operators and tenders (10th percentile) start around $33K. Mid-career wages sit at $33K. Top earners bring in $41K or more, a $8K 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
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Frequently asked questions
Can a food cooking machine operators and tender afford a 2BR apartment alone in Hagerstown-Martinsburg?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $33K, rent takes 54.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,233/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $700/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 Hagerstown-Martinsburg?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new food cooking machine operators and tenders typically earn — is $33K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,997/month. At HUD’s $1,233/month FMR, rent would take 62% 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 Hagerstown-Martinsburg?
Local pay runs 20% below the national median — $33K here vs. $42K nationally. Cost of living is 6% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Hagerstown-Martinsburg compare to the national average for food cooking machine operators and tenders?
Hagerstown-Martinsburg pays $33K median vs. the U.S. average of $42K — that’s -20%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.2), the purchasing-power equivalent is $35K — below the national median.
How much do food cooking machine operators and tenders make in Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV?
The median is $33,280 a year, that works out to about $16 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $33,280, and experienced food cooking machine operators and tenders can clear $41,050. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $33K enough to live in Hagerstown-Martinsburg?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,281/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,233/month, which eats 54.1% 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 Hagerstown-Martinsburg?
Hagerstown-Martinsburg has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median food cooking machine operators and tenders salary is worth about $35,329 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.