Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders
Operate or tend cooking equipment, such as steam cooking vats, deep fry cookers, pressure cookers, kettles, and boilers, to prepare food products.
- O*NET-SOC code
51-3093.00 - Preparation Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$41,590
Employment, U.S.31,250
Median hourly wage$20.00
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $31,680 | $36,190 | $41,590 | $47,380 | $54,410 |
By state (41)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 250 | $27,080 | 0.59 |
| Arizona | 560 | $44,050 | 0.87 |
| Arkansas | 330 | $40,480 | 1.27 |
| California | 2,010 | $44,740 | 0.55 |
| Colorado | 300 | $46,900 | 0.51 |
| Connecticut | 60 | $38,880 | 0.17 |
| Delaware | $31,240 | ||
| Florida | 970 | $36,450 | 0.49 |
| Georgia | 690 | $38,440 | 0.71 |
| Idaho | 790 | $45,120 | 4.60 |
| Illinois | 2,460 | $42,670 | 2.01 |
| Indiana | 540 | $43,350 | 0.83 |
| Iowa | 850 | $47,900 | 2.72 |
| Kansas | 750 | $45,850 | 2.58 |
| Kentucky | 300 | $41,800 | 0.74 |
| Louisiana | 550 | $44,440 | 1.43 |
| Maine | 170 | $37,500 | 1.34 |
| Maryland | $36,960 | ||
| Massachusetts | 170 | $47,960 | 0.24 |
| Michigan | 380 | $47,260 | 0.43 |
| Minnesota | 1,410 | $47,250 | 2.38 |
| Mississippi | 110 | $31,150 | 0.47 |
| Missouri | 620 | $42,160 | 1.05 |
| Nebraska | 670 | $45,420 | 3.25 |
| Nevada | $36,610 | ||
| New Hampshire | 110 | $40,440 | 0.82 |
| New Jersey | 430 | $37,180 | 0.50 |
| New York | 1,300 | $45,680 | 0.67 |
| North Carolina | 770 | $39,070 | 0.78 |
| Ohio | 980 | $41,160 | 0.88 |
| Oklahoma | 1,140 | $36,030 | 3.33 |
| Oregon | 570 | $44,530 | 1.44 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,580 | $42,710 | 1.30 |
| South Carolina | 520 | $38,220 | 1.13 |
| South Dakota | 120 | $39,270 | 1.33 |
| Tennessee | 1,820 | $45,620 | 2.76 |
| Texas | 3,180 | $33,980 | 1.12 |
| Utah | 390 | $48,620 | 1.12 |
| Virginia | 510 | $35,140 | 0.61 |
| Washington | 310 | $51,100 | 0.43 |
| Wisconsin | 850 | $40,000 | 1.44 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders | Operation and Control | 1.00 | 0.933 |
| Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers | Operations Monitoring | 0.76 | 0.932 |
| Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders | Quality Control Analysis | 0.76 | 0.931 |
| Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers | Troubleshooting | 1.13 | 0.922 |
| Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping | Service Orientation | 0.88 | 0.920 |
| Semiconductor Processing Technicians | Quality Control Analysis | 1.26 | 0.920 |
| Print Binding and Finishing Workers | Quality Control Analysis | 0.76 | 0.919 |
| Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | Operations Monitoring | 0.76 | 0.917 |
| Butchers and Meat Cutters | Service Orientation | 0.76 | 0.916 |
| Etchers and Engravers | Quality Control Analysis | 0.76 | 0.912 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders, excluding software Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Operational databases | 4 of 20 | 15.4x |
| SAP software | 9 of 20 | 1.5x |
| Inventory tracking software | 3 of 20 | 3.1x |
| Email software | 6 of 20 | 1.0x |
| Microsoft Excel | 18 of 20 | 1.0x |
| Microsoft Word | 15 of 20 | 0.9x |
| Microsoft Office software | 15 of 20 | 0.8x |
| Microsoft Outlook | 10 of 20 | 0.7x |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | 8 of 20 | 0.6x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 3.50 | 3.12 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.12 | 2.88 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 2.88 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.12 | 2.75 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.00 | 2.38 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.38 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 2.75 | 2.62 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.25 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.12 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 2.62 | 2.38 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.38 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 2.62 | 2.38 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.25 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 1.62 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 2.12 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 2.12 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.38 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.75 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Science | Essential skill | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.00 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 1.12 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.25 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Production and Processing | 4.35 | 4.59 |
| Food Production | 3.80 | 3.39 |
| Administration and Management | 3.31 | 3.23 |
| Education and Training | 3.13 | 3.02 |
| Mechanical | 3.11 | 3.24 |
| English Language | 2.81 | 2.89 |
| Computers and Electronics | 2.64 | 2.93 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 2.60 | 1.46 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.53 | 1.99 |
| Chemistry | 2.30 | 2.61 |
| Mathematics | 2.19 | 1.93 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.15 | 2.32 |
| Administrative | 2.10 | 1.58 |
| Psychology | 2.07 | 1.59 |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.89 | not rated |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.83 | not rated |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.66 | not rated |
| Engineering and Technology | 1.62 | 0.87 |
| Communications and Media | 1.60 | 1.35 |
| Foreign Language | 1.55 | not rated |
| Building and Construction | 1.48 | not rated |
| Design | 1.48 | not rated |
| Transportation | 1.47 | 0.73 |
| Physics | 1.37 | not rated |
| Telecommunications | 1.34 | 0.65 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.30 | not rated |
| Law and Government | 1.28 | not rated |
| Biology | 1.25 | not rated |
| History and Archeology | 1.14 | not rated |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.14 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.00 | not rated |
| Geography | 1.00 | not rated |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.00 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.62 | 3.00 |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.38 | 3.00 |
| Written Comprehension | 3.38 | 2.88 |
| Near Vision | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Information Ordering | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Control Precision | 3.12 | 2.88 |
| Selective Attention | 3.12 | 2.75 |
| Reaction Time | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.00 | 2.75 |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.00 | 2.50 |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.00 | 2.25 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Oral Expression | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Speech Recognition | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Speech Clarity | 2.88 | 2.25 |
| Category Flexibility | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Written Expression | 2.75 | 2.50 |
| Static Strength | 2.75 | 2.38 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.75 | 2.12 |
| Rate Control | 2.75 | 2.00 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.62 | 2.25 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.62 | 2.12 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.50 | 2.50 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 2.38 | 2.25 |
| Far Vision | 2.38 | 2.12 |
| Visualization | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Number Facility | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Time Sharing | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Stamina | 2.25 | 1.88 |
| Depth Perception | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.00 | 2.12 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Memorization | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Originality | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Response Orientation | 1.62 | 1.25 |
| Explosive Strength | 1.62 | 0.88 |
| Sound Localization | 1.50 | 0.88 |
| Night Vision | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.12 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Database software
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florence, SC | 260 | 14.46 | $38,220 |
| Twin Falls, ID | 130 | 12.84 | $46,010 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 190 | 12.37 | $51,600 |
| York-Hanover, PA | 370 | 10.01 | $46,350 |
| Boise City, ID | 360 | 4.55 | $45,120 |
| Modesto, CA | 140 | 3.51 | $59,010 |
| Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT | 170 | 2.80 | $38,060 |
| Salem, OR | 110 | 2.79 | $39,920 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 100 | 2.76 | $48,460 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | 260 | 2.64 | $48,420 |