Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders · SOC 51-3093
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders Salary in the Portland Metro Area
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area
Figures describe the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metropolitan statistical area as defined by BLS/OMB — the whole multi-county metro region, not Portland city limits.
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area earned a median of $45,260 per year ($21.76 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $37,400 at the 10th percentile to $49,630 at the 90th. BLS estimates 300 people work in this occupation in the area.
Pay distribution
Half of Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders in the Portland metro area earn more than $45,260 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $39,720 and $45,580.
| Wage | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $37,400 | $39,720 | $45,260 | $45,580 | $49,630 |
| Hourly | $17.98 | $19.10 | $21.76 | $21.92 | $23.86 |
A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.
How this area compares
- Portland metro areathis metro area$45,260 median for Portland metro area; middle half earns $39,720 to $45,580
- Oregonstate (OR)$44,530 median for Oregon; middle half earns $38,940 to $46,990
- United Statesnational$41,590 median for United States; middle half earns $36,190 to $47,380
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
The median here is +2% vs Oregon overall and +9% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.
Where this metro sits nationally
Each dot is one metro area with a published median — hover any dot for the name and figure. Metros without published estimates are not drawn.
The Portland metro area has the 30th-highest published median for this occupation among the 86 metro areas where BLS publishes it. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.
Other metro areas in Oregon
Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for food cooking machine operators and tenders, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.
- Portland metro areathis page$45,260 median for Portland metro area; middle half earns $39,720 to $45,580
- $39,920 median for Salem metro area; middle half earns $39,920 to $46,610
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
Keep exploring
Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:
Highest-paying metro areas for food cooking machine operators and tenderss · Highest-paying occupations in Portland Metro
About this estimate
These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.
Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.