Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders
Also called: Coffee Roaster, Machine Operator, Roaster, RoastermanOperate or tend food or tobacco roasting, baking, or drying equipment, including hearth ovens, kiln driers, roasters, char kilns, and vacuum drying equipment.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 2 of its 19 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 0.4% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 0.6% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 8.4 hires for every 10 job openings in nondurable goods manufacturing, which employs about 80% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.8.4 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $55,280 | $44,750 to $56,370 | 30 |
| Arizona | $43,010 | $38,750 to $48,730 | 90 |
| Arkansas | $45,080 | $37,600 to $47,710 | 580 |
| California | $45,600 | $38,370 to $49,030 | 1,630 |
| Colorado | $59,590 | $45,970 to $64,970 | 500 |
| Connecticut | $41,720 | $38,790 to $46,260 | 60 |
| Florida | $35,340 | $28,400 to $41,300 | 360 |
| Georgia | $37,390 | $34,460 to $42,290 | 290 |
| Hawaii | $45,390 | $38,740 to $46,240 | 90 |
| Idaho | $48,250 | $38,970 to $48,900 | 430 |
| Illinois | $38,230 | $38,160 to $42,650 | 440 |
| Indiana | $43,370 | $40,730 to $47,390 | 260 |
| Iowa | $47,960 | $45,110 to $52,650 | 660 |
| Kansas | $44,550 | $43,360 to $45,890 | 220 |
| Kentucky | $48,540 | $32,720 to $64,470 | 340 |
| Louisiana | $38,440 | $34,300 to $44,800 | 80 |
| Maine | $50,220 | $44,790 to $52,090 | 100 |
| Maryland | $60,170 | $47,230 to $78,750 | 200 |
| Massachusetts | $45,400 | $41,360 to $50,590 | 190 |
| Michigan | $48,240 | $40,920 to $51,790 | 700 |
| Minnesota | $50,340 | $46,960 to $65,780 | 1,120 |
| Mississippi | $37,030 | $33,320 to $39,140 | 60 |
| Missouri | $43,460 | $37,200 to $47,440 | 1,030 |
| Montana | $35,360 | $32,370 to $43,680 | 130 |
| Nebraska | $43,410 | $38,680 to $52,850 | 440 |
| Nevada | $54,950 | $48,570 to $60,620 | 130 |
| New Jersey | $37,140 | $37,140 to $40,950 | 630 |
| New Mexico | $35,480 | $33,730 to $44,740 | 70 |
| New York | $49,020 | $43,570 to $53,030 | 1,370 |
| North Carolina | $35,980 | $28,920 to $53,580 | 1,510 |
| North Dakota | $77,300 | $50,350 to $77,320 | 30 |
| Ohio | $44,190 | $37,790 to $45,030 | 910 |
| Oklahoma | $42,390 | $36,440 to $42,390 | 370 |
| Oregon | $46,250 | $39,580 to $58,240 | 500 |
| Pennsylvania | $49,660 | $45,140 to $57,120 | 540 |
| South Carolina | $40,000 | $36,680 to $45,110 | 140 |
| South Dakota | $45,040 | $38,380 to $45,430 | 120 |
| Tennessee | $39,130 | $35,550 to $45,470 | 350 |
| Texas | $37,140 | $32,240 to $43,480 | 1,800 |
| Utah | $47,940 | $42,830 to $52,060 | 130 |
| Vermont | $40,990 | $40,990 to $48,100 | 80 |
| Virginia | $59,260 | $41,280 to $84,520 | 270 |
| Washington | $50,590 | $43,810 to $61,170 | 720 |
| Wisconsin | $48,560 | $40,140 to $56,100 | 540 |
Nationally: $44,810. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 2 of its 19 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Observe, feel, taste, or otherwise examine products during and after processing to ensure conformance to standards. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record production data, such as weight and amount of product processed, type of product, and time and temperature of processing. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe flow of materials and listen for machine malfunctions, such as jamming or spillage, and notify supervisors if corrective actions fail. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe temperature, humidity, pressure gauges, and product samples and adjust controls, such as thermostats and valves, to maintain prescribed operating conditions for specific stages. | Not published |
| Not much | Set temperature and time controls, light ovens, burners, driers, or roasters, and start equipment, such as conveyors, cylinders, blowers, driers, or pumps. | Not published |
| Not much | Weigh or measure products, using scale hoppers or scale conveyors. | Not published |
See all 19 tasks
| AI + software | Signal coworkers to synchronize flow of materials. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate or tend equipment that roasts, bakes, dries, or cures food items such as cocoa and coffee beans, grains, nuts, and bakery products. | Not published |
| Not much | Read work orders to determine quantities and types of products to be baked, dried, or roasted. | Not published |
| Not much | Fill or remove product from trays, carts, hoppers, or equipment, using scoops, peels, or shovels, or by hand. | Not published |
| Not much | Push racks or carts to transfer products to storage, cooling stations, or the next stage of processing. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean equipment with steam, hot water, and hoses. | Not published |
| Not much | Open valves, gates, or chutes or use shovels to load or remove products from ovens or other equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Test products for moisture content, using moisture meters. | Not published |
| Not much | Clear or dislodge blockages in bins, screens, or other equipment, using poles, brushes, or mallets. | Not published |
| Not much | Start conveyors to move roasted grain to cooling pans and agitate grain with rakes as blowers force air through perforated bottoms of pans. | Not published |
| Not much | Take product samples during or after processing for laboratory analyses. | Not published |
| Not much | Install equipment, such as spray units, cutting blades, or screens, using hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Smooth out products in bins, pans, trays, or conveyors, using rakes or shovels. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 19 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 19 tasks fall under 17 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Position workpieces or materials on equipment | |||
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Inspect completed work or finished products | |||
| Monitor equipment operation | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas |
Show all 17 activities
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Notify others of emergencies or problems | |||
| Evaluate production inputs or outputs | |||
| Collect samples of products or materials | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Signal others to coordinate work activities | |||
| Operate pumping systems or equipment | |||
| Operate industrial processing or production equipment | |||
| Remove workpieces from production equipment |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer39%
- Advice or a recommendation30%
- Math or a calculation12%
- An analysis or summary6%
- Data or a spreadsheet6%
How they worked with Claude
9% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved in from
of 471 moves in
- 1 Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators Low +1.5% 5%
- 2 First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers High +5.4% 5%
- 3 Human Resources Managers High +5.5% 5%
- 4 Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Moderate -5.7% 4%
- 5 Nuclear Power Reactor Operators Moderate -5.9% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 23% less than high school
- 61% high school
- 6% postsecondary certificate
- 11% some college
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 22 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 14% less than high school
- 29% high school
- 30% some college
- 4% associate's
- 21% bachelor's
- 1% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 101 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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