Occupations · Production
Food Batchmakers
Set up and operate equipment that mixes or blends ingredients used in the manufacturing of food products. Includes candy makers and cheese makers.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 51-3092.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 86% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $48,030 | 9,500 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $37,190 | 7,200 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $37,340 | 4,200 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $38,070 | 4,160 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $36,420 | 4,130 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $31,260 | 3,460 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $40,260 | 3,390 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $36,690 | 2,590 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $45,060 | 2,290 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI | $45,720 | 1,990 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $46,060 | 1,960 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | $42,210 | 1,920 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: High school diploma or equivalent · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Record production and test data for each food product batch, such as the ingredients used, temperature, test results, and time cycle.
- Clean and sterilize vats and factory processing areas.
- Test food product samples for moisture content, acidity level, specific gravity, or butter-fat content, and continue processing until desired levels are reached.
- Set up, operate, and tend equipment that cooks, mixes, blends, or processes ingredients in the manufacturing of food products, according to formulas or recipes.
- Mix or blend ingredients, according to recipes, using a paddle or an agitator, or by controlling vats that heat and mix ingredients.
- Inspect vats after cleaning to ensure that fermentable residue has been removed.
- Follow recipes to produce food products of specified flavor, texture, clarity, bouquet, or color.
- Give directions to other workers who are assisting in the batchmaking process.
- Select and measure or weigh ingredients, using English or metric measures and balance scales.
- Fill processing or cooking containers, such as kettles, rotating cookers, pressure cookers, or vats, with ingredients, by opening valves, by starting pumps or injectors, or by hand.
- Press switches and turn knobs to start, adjust, and regulate equipment, such as beaters, extruders, discharge pipes, and salt pumps.
- Determine mixing sequences, based on knowledge of temperature effects and of the solubility of specific ingredients.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2021-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2021-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning.
Now listed 1
No longer listed 1
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| extract mixer tester | 8160.29 | close |
| blending plant operator | 8160.6 | close |
| flour purifier operator | 8160.33 | close |
| blender operator | 8160.5 | close |
| kettle tender | 8160.40 | close |
| food production operator | 8160.34 | close |
| brew house operator | 8160.7 | broader |
| bulk filler | 8160.8 | broader |
| candy machine operator | 8160.11 | broader |
| hydrogenation machine operator | 8160.39 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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