Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders Salary
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL make a median of $35,890 a year, or about $17.25 an hour. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $47K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 100.89), that's roughly $35,573 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,977/month, about 76.6% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $36K get you in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater’s Regional Price Parity (100.89). 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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
Pay for food cooking machine operators and tenders in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater runs about 14% below the U.S. median of $42K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,977/month, which is 76.8% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 100.89) 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.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for food cooking machine operators and tenders in metros near Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | $36K | $32K |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford | $37K | $36K |
| Jacksonville | $37K | $37K |
| Lakeland-Winter Haven | $40K | $41K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
Entry-level food cooking machine operators and tenders (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $36K. Top earners bring in $47K or more, a $16K 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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a food cooking machine operators and tender afford a 2BR apartment alone in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $36K, rent takes 76.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,977/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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater?
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 $1,832/month. At HUD’s $1,977/month FMR, rent would take 108% 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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater?
Local pay runs 14% below the national median — $36K here vs. $42K nationally.
How does Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater compare to the national average for food cooking machine operators and tenders?
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater pays $36K median vs. the U.S. average of $42K — that’s -14%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 100.89), the purchasing-power equivalent is $36K — below the national median.
How much do food cooking machine operators and tenders make in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
The median is $35,890 a year, that works out to about $17 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $30,530, and experienced food cooking machine operators and tenders can clear $46,900. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $36K enough to live in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,573/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,977/month, which eats 76.8% 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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater?
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater has a Regional Price Parity of 100.89 (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 $35,573 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.