National » Production » Food Processing Workers

Food Processing Worker Salary in U.S.

The salary statistics of food processing workers are shown in Table 1. The average hourly salary of food processing workers in the United States is shown in Table 2. In the next few tables we compare the average salaries of food processing workers within different industry sectors and in the 50 states of the United States. The food processing workers annual salary statistics are from the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].

Table 1. Food Processing Worker Salary in U.S. (2022 survey)

Percentile BracketAverage Annual Salary
10th Percentile Wage
$26,060
25th Percentile Wage
$29,840
50th Percentile Wage
$35,320
75th Percentile Wage
$40,320
90th Percentile Wage
$48,340

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for food processing workers. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) food processing workers is $48,340. The median annual salary (50th percentile) is $35,320. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $26,060. Notice that in the United States, the annual salary of the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is almost 85% higher than that of the bottom 10 percent.

Median salary trend (2012 to 2022)

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of food processing workers from 2012 to 2022.

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth10-Year Growth
2022
$35,320
13.70% 30.97%
2021
$30,480
-1.57% -
2020
$30,960
5.30% -
2019
$29,320
3.68% -
2018
$28,240
4.25% -
2017
$27,040
2.81% -
2016
$26,280
3.08% -
2015
$25,470
1.61% -
2014
$25,060
1.60% -
2013
$24,660
1.14% -
2012
$24,380
- -

Table 2. Food Processing Worker Salary by Industry Sector (2022 survey)

The average salaries of food processing workers in 16 major industry sectors are shown in Table 2. We note that the salaries vary considerably within different industry sectors. The highest paying industry sector for food processing workers occupations is the professional, scientific, and technical services sector with an annual salary $63,440. The lowest paying sector is the accommodation and food services sector (annual salary $31,200).

Industry Sector Median Annual Salary
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
$63,440
Federal, State, and Local Government
$50,650
Health Care and Social Assistance
$37,060
Manufacturing
$36,000
Other Services (except Federal, State, and Local Government)
$35,960
Retail Trade
$35,560
Wholesale Trade
$35,500
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
$35,390
Transportation and Warehousing
$35,200
Educational Services
$34,150
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
$33,850
Management of Companies and Enterprises
$33,430
Finance and Insurance
$33,200
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting
$31,730
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
$31,350
Accommodation and Food Services
$31,200

Table 3. Salaries of Food Processing Worker Related Occupations

The average annual salary of food processing worker related occupations at the national level is given in Table 3. For more salary information about a specific occupation, use the links below.

Occupation Median Annual Salary
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders
$37,790
Butchers and Meat Cutters
$36,930
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders
$36,700
Food Batchmakers
$36,580
Miscellaneous Food Processing Workers
$36,190
Butchers and Other Meat, Poultry, and Fish Processing Workers
$35,870
Slaughterers and Meat Packers
$35,240
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
$35,070
Food Processing Workers, All Other
$34,710
Bakers
$32,780

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💰 Highest paying industries for food processing workers.