Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders Salary
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI make a median of $48,290 a year, or about $23.22 an hour. The range runs from $43K at the entry level to $57K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 104.82), that's roughly $46,069 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,709/month, about 51.3% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $48K get you in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington’s Regional Price Parity (104.82). 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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington sits well above the national pay line for food cooking machine operators and tenders, local pay runs about 16% higher than the U.S. median of $42K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,709/month, which is 52.6% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 104.82) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for food cooking machine operators and tenders in metros near Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| St. Cloud | $47K | $54K |
| Sioux City | $52K | $60K |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island | $48K | $54K |
| Appleton | $48K | $52K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
Entry-level food cooking machine operators and tenders (10th percentile) start around $43K. Mid-career wages sit at $48K. Top earners bring in $57K or more, a $14K 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 with published data
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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a food cooking machine operators and tender afford a 2BR apartment alone in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $48K, rent takes 52.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,709/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new food cooking machine operators and tenders typically earn — is $43K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,585/month. At HUD’s $1,709/month FMR, rent would take 66% 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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington?
Local pay is 16% above the national median — $48K here vs. $42K nationally.
How does Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington compare to the national average for food cooking machine operators and tenders?
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington pays $48K median vs. the U.S. average of $42K — that’s +16%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 104.82), the purchasing-power equivalent is $46K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do food cooking machine operators and tenders make in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?
The median is $48,290 a year, that works out to about $23 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $43,090, and experienced food cooking machine operators and tenders can clear $56,590. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $48K enough to live in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,249/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,709/month, which eats 52.6% 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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington?
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington has a Regional Price Parity of 104.82 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median food cooking machine operators and tenders salary is worth about $46,069 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.