Food Batchmakers: Salary Overview
Food batchmakers manufacture food products using equipment that blends ingredients together.
Their job description includes selecting and weighting ingredients and following recipes or formulas to set up and operate the equipment that mixes, cooks, or processes the ingredients.
They also have to test food samples to make sure that they have the optimum level of nutritional values, inspect and pack the final product, and grade products according to food regulations.
Food batchmakers may also modify cooking operations based on the sampling process and adjust a variety of parameters to make sure that the product meets the desired quality standards.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage reported in May 2019 by food batchmakers was $30,790 per year which means that half of all workers in this profession earned less than this and half earned more.
Salaries vary depending on the industry of employment and the worker’s experience and education.
The lowest 10 percent earned less than $21,720 per year, while the highest 10 percent made more than $48,790 per year.
The 25th percentile for this profession was $25,340 which means that 75 percent of all food batchmakers earned more than this.
The 75th percentile was $39,380, which means that only the most experienced 25 percent earned more than this.
The difference between the lowest 10 percent and the top 10 percent is typically made by the food batchmaker’s level of experience and skills but also by the region of employment.
Food Batchmaker Salary by Industry
The report published by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the biggest employers for food batchmakers in 2019 were bakeries and tortilla manufacturers, other food manufacturers and fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty food manufacturers.
Food batchmakers who work in the field of other food manufacturing are typically involved in mixing purchased dried or dehydrated ingredients.
Manufacturers of fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty food use of techniques such as freezing, pickling, canning, and dehydrating in order to preserve food.
The numbers published show that average salaries varied only slightly among the biggest employers.
Food batchmakers who worked for bakeries and tortilla manufacturers were paid, on average, with $33,040 per year.
The average annual wage reported by food batchmakers employed by other food manufacturers was $32,770.
Food batchmakers who worked for fruit a vegetable preserving and specialty food manufacturers reported an average annual salary of $33,370.
A higher annual wage was reported by food batchmakers employed by dairy product manufacturers- a field where the reported mean wage was $35,420 per year.
Food batchmakers who worked for manufacturers of sugar and confectionery products reported an average annual salary of $34,600.
The highest average annual wage was reported by food batchmakers who worked for beverage manufacturers.
In this field, the reported mean annual wage was $41,860.
The industry of grain and oilseed milling offered food batchmakers an average annual salary of $39,950.
Salaries for food batchmakers are also influenced by the region of employment.
According to the report published by BLS, the highest average annual salary ($65,170) was reported by those employed in the Battle Creek metropolitan area in Michigan.
Food batchmakers who worked in Hammond, Louisiana, on the other hand, reported an average annual salary of only $19,240.
In conclusion, wages vary widely depending on the region and the local economy.
The top-paying states for this profession were Iowa, Tennessee, Alaska, Vermont, and Maryland, states where the average annual wage reported by food batchmakers was over $37,000 a year.
Food batchmakers in states like South Carolina, North Carolina, and Lousiana were paid, on average, with less than $30,000 a year.
* Based on information from the May 2024 salary report from the BLS. The figures represent accumulated data for all states of employment for Food Batchmakers. BLS data represents averages and medians for workers at all levels of education and experience. This data doesn't represent starting salaries.
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.