Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders Salary
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders in Utah make a median of $48,620 a year, or about $23.37 an hour. The range runs from $32K at the entry level to $53K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.54), that's roughly $49,340 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,350/month, about 40.7% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Utah. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $49K get you in Utah?
About food cooking machine operators and tenders
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What this looks like in Utah
Utah sits well above the national pay line for food cooking machine operators and tenders, local pay runs about 17% 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 $1,350/month, which is 41.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.54) 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.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Utah
Entry-level food cooking machine operators and tenders (10th percentile) start around $32K. Mid-career wages sit at $49K. Top earners bring in $53K or more, a $21K spread from bottom to top.
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders salary by metro in Utah
2 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake City-Murray | $48K | -1% | 70 |
| Provo-Orem-Lehi | $38K | -22% | 170 |
Compare to other states
Track food cooking machine operators and tenders salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Utah numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a food cooking machine operators and tender afford a 2BR apartment alone in Utah?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $49K, rent takes 41.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,350/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 Utah?
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 $1,911/month. At HUD’s $1,350/month FMR, rent would take 71% 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 Utah?
Local pay is 17% above the national median — $49K here vs. $42K nationally.
How does Utah compare to the national average for food cooking machine operators and tenders?
Utah pays $49K median vs. the U.S. average of $42K — that’s +17%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.54), the purchasing-power equivalent is $49K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do food cooking machine operators and tenders make in Utah?
The median is $48,620 a year, that works out to about $23 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,850, and experienced food cooking machine operators and tenders can clear $52,830. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $49K enough to live in Utah?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,237/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,350/month, which eats 41.7% 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 Utah?
Utah has a Regional Price Parity of 98.54 (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 $49,340 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.