Occupation salary profile

Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders

SOC 51-3091 BLS OEWS May 2025

Operate or tend food or tobacco roasting, baking, or drying equipment, including hearth ovens, kiln driers, roasters, char kilns, and vacuum drying equipment.

National median · BLS
$44,810
▲ +4.87% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$45,930
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
20,370
Jobs (BLS)
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Pay range for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay$33,250
25th$37,540
Median (50th)$44,810
75th$50,680
90th — top pay$62,680

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders

BLS projects employment of food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders to grow 0.4% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 2,500 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
21,600 → 21,700
+100 jobs
Projected change
+0.4%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
2,500
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
No formal educational credential
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
8.3% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need no formal education →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Operations Monitoring3.6
  • Monitoring3.5
  • Active Listening3.1
  • Critical Thinking3.1
  • Operation and Control3.1
  • Quality Control Analysis3.1
  • Reading Comprehension3.1
  • Complex Problem Solving3.0
  • Coordination3.0
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.0
Top knowledge areas
  • Production and Processing3.6
  • English Language3.3
  • Public Safety and Security3.0
  • Food Production3.0
  • Mathematics2.3
  • Education and Training2.3
  • Mechanical2.2
  • Customer and Personal Service2.1
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelEmail software

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders do

  • Observe, feel, taste, or otherwise examine products during and after processing to ensure conformance to standards.
  • Set temperature and time controls, light ovens, burners, driers, or roasters, and start equipment, such as conveyors, cylinders, blowers, driers, or pumps.
  • Observe temperature, humidity, pressure gauges, and product samples and adjust controls, such as thermostats and valves, to maintain prescribed operating conditions for specific stages.
  • Observe flow of materials and listen for machine malfunctions, such as jamming or spillage, and notify supervisors if corrective actions fail.
  • Record production data, such as weight and amount of product processed, type of product, and time and temperature of processing.
  • Weigh or measure products, using scale hoppers or scale conveyors.
  • Operate or tend equipment that roasts, bakes, dries, or cures food items such as cocoa and coffee beans, grains, nuts, and bakery products.
  • Signal coworkers to synchronize flow of materials.
Also called
Coffee RoasterMachine OperatorRoasterRoastermanBean RoasterLine OperatorOven OperatorOven TechnicianRoast MasterRoaster Operator
More job titles for this occupation (80)
Automatic Oven OperatorBakery Production AssociateBakery Production WorkerBakery WorkerBaking AssistantBelt Conveyor DrierBone Char Kiln OperatorBun PannerButtermilk Drier OperatorChocolate TempererCocoa Bean RoasterCocoa RoasterContinuous Process Coffee RoasterCorn PopperCuring Bin OperatorCuring Room WorkerDehydrator OperatorDehydrator TenderDrierDrier AttendantDrier OperatorDrier TenderDrum DrierDrum Drier OperatorDryer OperatorDrying Machine OperatorEnroberEnrober OperatorFish SalterFish SmokerFlaker OperatorFood Dehydrator OperatorFood Production WorkerFruit DryerFurnace OperatorGrain DrierGrain Drier OperatorGrain RoasterGrain Wafer Machine OperatorGranulator OperatorGunnerHam CurerHam SmokerIcing Machine OperatorInstantizer OperatorKiln FirerLinter Drier OperatorLong Goods DrierMachine Pie MakerMalt House Kiln OperatorMalt RoasterManufacturing OperatorMeat CurerMeat SmokerMeringuerMilk DrierMilk Drying Machine OperatorNut RoasterOven TenderOven WorkerPeanut RoasterPeelmanPizza CookPizza MakerPlant Utility PersonPopcorn PopperPretzel CookerProcessing OperatorProduction RoasterPulp Drier FirerReclaim OperatorRedrying Machine OperatorRice DrierRice Drier OperatorRoastmasterSausage SmokerSmokehouse OperatorSmokehouse WorkerSmokerSmoker Operator

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.