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Skilled Trades

Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders

Operate or tend food or tobacco roasting, baking, or drying equipment, including hearth ovens, kiln driers, roasters, char kilns, and vacuum drying equipment.

Median salary (BLS)

$44,810

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$33k – $63k

Job outlook

+1% (about average)

AI exposure

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Education

Typical entry: No degree required

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How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$100–$2,600

Time to qualify

3.1 yr

Renewal

$50/yr

  1. 1

    Registered apprenticeship (paid)

    Experience

    Earn-while-you-learn training — apprentices are paid during the program; fees are tools/books, not tuition.

    $0–$2,000 · 36 months · varies by state source

  2. 2

    Journeyman exam & state/local license

    License

    Most states and municipalities test and license journeyman-level trades workers.

    $100–$600 · 1 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders

    Entry / Junior

    $33,250

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders

    Established

    $44,810

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders

    Senior

    $53,745

Key skills

A typical day

  • •Observe, feel, taste, or otherwise examine products during and after processing to ensure conformance to standards.
  • •Set temperature and time controls, light ovens, burners, driers, or roasters, and start equipment, such as conveyors, cylinders, blowers, driers, or pumps.
  • •Observe temperature, humidity, pressure gauges, and product samples and adjust controls, such as thermostats and valves, to maintain prescribed operating conditions for specific stages.
  • •Observe flow of materials and listen for machine malfunctions, such as jamming or spillage, and notify supervisors if corrective actions fail.
  • •Record production data, such as weight and amount of product processed, type of product, and time and temperature of processing.

Fields of study

Any field

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.