Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders Salary
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders in Texas make a median of $33,980 a year, or about $16.34 an hour. The range runs from $25K at the entry level to $45K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 91.49), which stretches that salary to about $37,141 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,415/month, about 57.9% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Texas. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $34K get you in Texas?
About food cooking machine operators and tenders
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What this looks like in Texas
Pay for food cooking machine operators and tenders in Texas runs about 18% below the U.S. median of $42K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,415/month, which is 57.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 91.49 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 9% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. 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, Texas
Entry-level food cooking machine operators and tenders (10th percentile) start around $25K. Mid-career wages sit at $34K. Top earners bring in $45K or more, a $20K spread from bottom to top.
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders salary by metro in Texas
6 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Paso | $36K | +6% | 90 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $35K | +4% | 330 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $35K | +4% | 850 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $32K | -5% | 600 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $30K | -11% | 530 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | $27K | -21% | 30 |
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BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Texas numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a food cooking machine operators and tender afford a 2BR apartment alone in Texas?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $34K, rent takes 57.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,415/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $700/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 Texas?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new food cooking machine operators and tenders typically earn — is $25K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,529/month. At HUD’s $1,415/month FMR, rent would take 93% 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 Texas?
Local pay runs 18% below the national median — $34K here vs. $42K nationally. Cost of living is 9% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Texas compare to the national average for food cooking machine operators and tenders?
Texas pays $34K median vs. the U.S. average of $42K — that’s -18%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 91.49), the purchasing-power equivalent is $37K — below the national median.
How much do food cooking machine operators and tenders make in Texas?
The median is $33,980 a year, that works out to about $16 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $25,480, and experienced food cooking machine operators and tenders can clear $45,460. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $34K enough to live in Texas?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,445/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,415/month, which eats 57.9% 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 Texas?
Texas has a Regional Price Parity of 91.49 (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 $37,141 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.