Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders Salary
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders in New Jersey make a median of $37,180 a year, or about $17.88 an hour. The range runs from $32K at the entry level to $45K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 99.34), that's roughly $37,427 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,067/month, about 80.5% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. This is an aggregate across all of New Jersey. BLS does not publish metro-level data for this occupation in this state.
So what does $37K get you in New Jersey?
About food cooking machine operators and tenders
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What this looks like in New Jersey
Pay for food cooking machine operators and tenders in New Jersey runs about 11% below the U.S. median of $42K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,067/month, which is 79.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 99.34) 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, New Jersey
Entry-level food cooking machine operators and tenders (10th percentile) start around $32K. Mid-career wages sit at $37K. Top earners bring in $45K or more, a $13K spread from bottom to top.
Compare to other states
Track food cooking machine operators and tenders salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when New Jersey numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a food cooking machine operators and tender afford a 2BR apartment alone in New Jersey?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $37K, rent takes 79.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,067/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 New Jersey?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new food cooking machine operators and tenders typically earn — is $32K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,933/month. At HUD’s $2,067/month FMR, rent would take 107% 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 New Jersey?
Local pay runs 11% below the national median — $37K here vs. $42K nationally.
How does New Jersey compare to the national average for food cooking machine operators and tenders?
New Jersey pays $37K median vs. the U.S. average of $42K — that’s -11%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 99.34), the purchasing-power equivalent is $37K — below the national median.
How much do food cooking machine operators and tenders make in New Jersey?
The median is $37,180 a year, that works out to about $18 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $32,220, and experienced food cooking machine operators and tenders can clear $45,170. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $37K enough to live in New Jersey?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,608/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,067/month, which eats 79.3% 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 New Jersey?
New Jersey has a Regional Price Parity of 99.34 (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 $37,427 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.