Production

Food Processing Workers, Misc.

SOC 51-3090

Operate the machines and lines that process and package food products.

The job

Median pay

$35k

Estimated

Outlook, 2025 to 2035

Growing fast

+5.1% projected

BLS figure for Miscellaneous food processing workers

Openings a year

37k

BLS figure for Miscellaneous food processing workers

Typical education

No formal credential

Our model

AI exposure

Not measured

No task data or O*NET work context for this role, so it is not ranked

Future-proof

37/100

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See where it pays mostWashington DC leads at $52k; every state is below Find careers like itOpen the map at Food Processing Workers, Misc. and explore its neighbours See open jobsFood Processing Workers, Misc. roles hiring now Learn the skillsCourses for Food Processing Workers, Misc., who lean most on machine operation Real pay & reviewsWhat Food Processing Workers, Misc. say they actually earn

Key skills

Machine operation
Food safety
Speed
Stamina
Reliability

Pay and jobs by state

BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.

State	Jobs	Per 1,000	vs national	Median pay
California	25,312	1.4	0.7×	$42k~
Texas	23,340	1.7	0.9×	$39k~
Ohio	15,346	2.8	1.5×	$41k~
Michigan	14,205	3.2	1.7×	$41k~
Illinois	14,015	2.3	1.2×	$41k~
Pennsylvania	12,443	2.1	1.1×	$42k~
Indiana	12,019	3.8	2.0×	$42k~
North Carolina	10,823	2.2	1.2×	$39k~
Georgia	10,479	2.1	1.1×	$38k~
Florida	10,308	1.0	0.6×	$38k~

All 51 states

State	Jobs	Per 1,000	vs national	Median pay
Wisconsin	10,012	3.4	1.8×	$43k~
New York	9,824	1.0	0.5×	$42k~
Tennessee	8,891	2.7	1.4×	$40k~
Alabama	7,322	3.5	1.9×	$39k~
Minnesota	6,817	2.3	1.2×	$43k~
Missouri	6,597	2.2	1.2×	$42k~
Kentucky	6,129	3.1	1.6×	$42k~
South Carolina	6,084	2.6	1.4×	$41k~
New Jersey	5,873	1.4	0.7×	$41k~
Virginia	5,569	1.4	0.7×	$41k~
Washington	5,426	1.5	0.8×	$49k~
Iowa	4,833	3.1	1.7×	$43k~
Massachusetts	4,752	1.3	0.7×	$43k~
Arizona	4,329	1.3	0.7×	$41k~
Kansas	3,977	2.8	1.5×	$42k~
Arkansas	3,947	3.0	1.6×	$36k~
Oregon	3,671	1.9	1.0×	$44k~
Utah	3,526	2.0	1.1×	$41k~
Louisiana	3,469	1.8	1.0×	$44k~
Oklahoma	3,419	2.0	1.1×	$40k~
Mississippi	3,340	2.9	1.5×	$36k~
Colorado	3,200	1.1	0.6×	$44k~
Connecticut	2,839	1.7	0.9×	$43k~
Nebraska	2,495	2.4	1.3×	$42k~
Maryland	2,270	0.8	0.4×	$42k~
Nevada	1,895	1.2	0.7×	$41k~
Idaho	1,723	2.0	1.1×	$41k~
New Hampshire	1,325	1.9	1.0×	$44k~
Maine	1,169	1.8	1.0×	$43k~
West Virginia	1,162	1.7	0.9×	$41k~
South Dakota	1,062	2.3	1.2×	$41k~
New Mexico	983	1.1	0.6×	$39k~
Rhode Island	939	1.9	1.0×	$43k~
North Dakota	813	1.9	1.0×	$45k~
Delaware	647	1.3	0.7×	$35k~
Montana	600	1.2	0.6×	$42k~
Vermont	523	1.7	0.9×	$43k~
Hawaii	464	0.7	0.4×	$43k~
Wyoming	448	1.6	0.8×	$52k~
Alaska	315	1.0	0.5×	$48k~
Washington DC	170	0.2	0.1×	$52k~

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BLS does not publish this occupation on its own. Pay and outlook here are BLS's figures for Miscellaneous food processing workers (SOC 51-3090), the occupation it is grouped with, so the real figures for this job could sit either side of them. Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.