Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders vs Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders: $47K vs $42K Median Pay

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders vs Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders: what changes?

Consider Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders if you want to set up, operate, or tend machines that cut or slice materials, such as glass, stone, cork, rubber, tobacco, food, paper, or insulating material. Consider Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders if you would rather operate or tend cooking equipment, such as steam cooking vats, deep fry cookers, pressure cookers, kettles, and boilers, to prepare food products. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders and Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

National median pay (2025): $46,570
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Set up, operate, or tend machines that cut or slice materials, such as glass, stone, cork, rubber, tobacco, food, paper, or insulating material.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 5,400

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 0.9% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders brief

Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders

National median pay (2025): $41,590
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Clean, wash, and sterilize equipment and cooking area, using water hoses, cleaning or sterilizing solutions, or rinses.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 3,700

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 0.3% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders brief

How the national numbers differ

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders has the edge on annual openings

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders is at 5,400 annual openings, compared with 3,700 annual openings for Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders.

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders has the edge on median pay

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders is at $46,570, compared with $41,590 for Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders.

Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders has the edge on projected growth

Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders is at -0.3% projected growth, compared with -0.9% projected growth for Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.

40.9/ 100

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

36/ 100

Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders vs Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders

Dimension	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders
Median pay (2025)	$46,570	$41,590
Pay percentile	22.2 percentile	13.2 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	-0.9%	-0.3%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	5,400	3,700
2025 employment	45,900	31,200
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders brief Read Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders brief

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders vs Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders

How the national numbers differ

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders has the edge on annual openings

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders has the edge on median pay

Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders has the edge on projected growth

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders vs Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders

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