Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders Salary
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders in Tennessee make a median of $45,620 a year, or about $21.93 an hour. The range runs from $35K at the entry level to $63K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 89.78), which stretches that salary to about $50,813 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,215/month, about 37% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Tennessee. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $46K get you in Tennessee?
About food cooking machine operators and tenders
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What this looks like in Tennessee
Food cooking machine operators and tenders pay in Tennessee tracks closely to the national median, $46K locally vs. $42K nationwide, a 10% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,215/month, which is 37.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 89.78 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 10% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Tennessee
Entry-level food cooking machine operators and tenders (10th percentile) start around $35K. Mid-career wages sit at $46K. Top earners bring in $63K or more, a $27K spread from bottom to top.
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders salary by metro in Tennessee
3 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis | $55K | +21% | 190 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin | $45K | -1% | 150 |
| Knoxville | $41K | -10% | 210 |
Compare to other states
Track food cooking machine operators and tenders salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Tennessee numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a food cooking machine operators and tender afford a 2BR apartment alone in Tennessee?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $46K, rent takes 37.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,215/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 Tennessee?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new food cooking machine operators and tenders typically earn — is $35K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,106/month. At HUD’s $1,215/month FMR, rent would take 58% 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 Tennessee?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $46K locally vs. $42K nationally, a 10% difference.
How does Tennessee compare to the national average for food cooking machine operators and tenders?
Tennessee pays $46K median vs. the U.S. average of $42K — that’s +10%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 89.78), the purchasing-power equivalent is $51K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do food cooking machine operators and tenders make in Tennessee?
The median is $45,620 a year, that works out to about $22 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $35,100, and experienced food cooking machine operators and tenders can clear $62,560. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $46K enough to live in Tennessee?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,225/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,215/month, which eats 37.7% 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 Tennessee?
Tennessee has a Regional Price Parity of 89.78 (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 $50,813 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.