Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders Salary
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI make a median of $39,410 a year, or about $18.95 an hour. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $61K for experienced workers.
So what does $39K get you in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Milwaukee-Waukesha’s Regional Price Parity (96.9). 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha
Food cooking machine operators and tenders pay in Milwaukee-Waukesha tracks closely to the national median, $39K locally vs. $42K nationwide, a 5% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,183/month, which is 43.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 96.9) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Appleton | $48K | , |
| Green Bay | $40K | , |
| Fond du Lac | $40K | , |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $44K | , |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI
Entry-level food cooking machine operators and tenders (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $39K. Top earners bring in $61K or more, a $30K 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a food cooking machine operators and tender afford a 2BR apartment alone in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $39K, rent takes 43.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,183/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 Milwaukee-Waukesha?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new food cooking machine operators and tenders typically earn — is $31K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,872/month. At HUD’s $1,183/month FMR, rent would take 63% 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $39K locally vs. $42K nationally, a 5% difference.
How does Milwaukee-Waukesha compare to the national average for food cooking machine operators and tenders?
Milwaukee-Waukesha pays $39K median vs. the U.S. average of $42K — that’s -5%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 96.9), the purchasing-power equivalent is $41K — below the national median.
How much do food cooking machine operators and tenders make in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI?
The median is $39,410 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,200, and experienced food cooking machine operators and tenders can clear $61,030. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $39K enough to live in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,721/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,183/month, which eats 43.5% 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha?
Milwaukee-Waukesha 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 $40,671 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.