Food Batchmakers
Also called: Batching Operator, Blender, Mixer, Mixer OperatorSet up and operate equipment that mixes or blends ingredients used in the manufacturing of food products. Includes candy makers and cheese makers.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 4 of its 25 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 6.5% 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, 4.7% 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 85% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $36,980 | $31,350 to $43,340 | 1,280 |
| Alaska | $39,030 | $38,200 to $47,930 | 100 |
| Arizona | $40,550 | $36,320 to $45,790 | 2,300 |
| Arkansas | $38,990 | $34,990 to $45,160 | 2,120 |
| California | $41,670 | $37,330 to $46,690 | 12,560 |
| Colorado | $44,900 | $38,050 to $49,710 | 3,880 |
| Connecticut | $39,110 | $37,450 to $42,920 | 1,460 |
| Delaware | $37,220 | $34,790 to $46,890 | 380 |
| Florida | $35,500 | $30,820 to $44,250 | 3,670 |
| Georgia | $46,490 | $36,730 to $52,430 | 4,290 |
| Hawaii | $37,490 | $34,040 to $44,630 | 360 |
| Idaho | $49,570 | $39,990 to $57,680 | 1,700 |
| Illinois | $48,130 | $39,000 to $57,200 | 12,320 |
| Indiana | $39,700 | $35,700 to $47,820 | 5,570 |
| Iowa | $48,300 | $43,640 to $59,280 | 4,160 |
| Kansas | $42,850 | $38,050 to $50,690 | 3,230 |
| Kentucky | $46,900 | $37,090 to $52,430 | 4,570 |
| Louisiana | $34,620 | $29,260 to $37,040 | 530 |
| Maine | $42,260 | $37,210 to $48,670 | 610 |
| Maryland | $40,240 | $35,190 to $51,550 | 1,390 |
| Massachusetts | $36,880 | $34,010 to $43,750 | 5,100 |
| Michigan | $40,160 | $35,030 to $47,490 | 5,130 |
| Minnesota | $42,940 | $35,940 to $51,420 | 7,660 |
| Mississippi | $36,530 | $34,870 to $44,840 | 660 |
| Missouri | $45,690 | $41,570 to $54,120 | 2,280 |
| Montana | $39,630 | $33,280 to $47,150 | 170 |
| Nebraska | $41,210 | $38,760 to $48,700 | 1,270 |
| Nevada | $41,120 | $31,720 to $50,120 | 880 |
| New Hampshire | $37,470 | $35,230 to $44,030 | 190 |
| New Jersey | $38,250 | $34,790 to $47,590 | 3,640 |
| New Mexico | $37,390 | $32,320 to $46,670 | 450 |
| New York | $38,470 | $35,740 to $43,690 | 8,460 |
| North Carolina | $36,590 | $32,490 to $44,160 | 3,450 |
| North Dakota | $40,840 | $39,280 to $45,750 | 250 |
| Ohio | $44,590 | $36,350 to $49,990 | 7,040 |
| Oklahoma | $36,320 | $31,390 to $45,560 | 930 |
| Oregon | $39,850 | $36,520 to $47,630 | 3,420 |
| Pennsylvania | $39,920 | $35,720 to $48,660 | 8,160 |
| Puerto Rico | $22,270 | $21,840 to $22,620 | 1,520 |
| Rhode Island | $39,250 | $34,780 to $44,910 | 310 |
| South Carolina | $37,070 | $33,730 to $45,390 | 700 |
| South Dakota | $39,200 | $36,640 to $44,700 | 660 |
| Tennessee | $42,610 | $37,740 to $48,540 | 2,920 |
| Texas | $37,500 | $29,040 to $46,070 | 13,250 |
| Utah | $41,390 | $35,740 to $48,890 | 3,250 |
| Vermont | $50,180 | $41,740 to $56,460 | 1,000 |
| Virginia | $41,080 | $35,760 to $51,150 | 2,870 |
| Washington | $42,710 | $37,720 to $47,650 | 5,700 |
| West Virginia | $34,660 | $28,760 to $45,460 | 70 |
| Wisconsin | $48,360 | $42,240 to $55,720 | 18,040 |
| Wyoming | $38,430 | $30,950 to $45,560 | 100 |
Nationally: $42,290. 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 4 of its 25 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Set up, operate, and tend equipment that cooks, mixes, blends, or processes ingredients in the manufacturing of food products, according to formulas or recipes. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean and sterilize vats and factory processing areas. | Not published |
| Not much | Follow recipes to produce food products of specified flavor, texture, clarity, bouquet, or color. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record production and test data for each food product batch, such as the ingredients used, temperature, test results, and time cycle. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe and listen to equipment to detect possible malfunctions, such as leaks or plugging, and report malfunctions or undesirable tastes to supervisors. | Not published |
| Not much | Mix or blend ingredients, according to recipes, using a paddle or an agitator, or by controlling vats that heat and mix ingredients. | Not published |
See all 25 tasks
| Not much | Press switches and turn knobs to start, adjust, and regulate equipment, such as beaters, extruders, discharge pipes, and salt pumps. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe gauges and thermometers to determine if the mixing chamber temperature is within specified limits, and turn valves to control the temperature. | Not published |
| AI alone | Determine mixing sequences, based on knowledge of temperature effects and of the solubility of specific ingredients. | Not published |
| Not much | Give directions to other workers who are assisting in the batchmaking process. | Not published |
| Not much | Turn valve controls to start equipment and to adjust operation to maintain product quality. | Not published |
| Not much | Select and measure or weigh ingredients, using English or metric measures and balance scales. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine, feel, and taste product samples during production to evaluate quality, color, texture, flavor, and bouquet, and document the results. | Not published |
| AI alone | Modify cooking and forming operations based on the results of sampling processes, adjusting time cycles and ingredients to achieve desired qualities, such as firmness or texture. | Not published |
| Not much | 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. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect vats after cleaning to ensure that fermentable residue has been removed. | Not published |
| Not much | Grade food products according to government regulations or according to type, color, bouquet, and moisture content. | Not published |
| Not much | Place products on carts or conveyors to transfer them to the next stage of processing. | Not published |
| Not much | Test food product samples for moisture content, acidity level, specific gravity, or butter-fat content, and continue processing until desired levels are reached. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect and pack the final product. | Not published |
| AI alone | Formulate or modify recipes for specific kinds of food products. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Manipulate products, by hand or using machines, to separate, spread, knead, spin, cast, cut, pull, or roll products. | Not published |
| Not much | Homogenize or pasteurize material to prevent separation or to obtain prescribed butterfat content, using a homogenizing device. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate refining machines to reduce the particle size of cooked batches. | Not published |
| Not much | Cool food product batches on slabs or in water-cooled kettles. | 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. 1 of the 25 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 25 tasks fall under 18 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.
- #37 Determine operational methods or procedures
- #38 Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operate industrial processing or production equipment | |||
| Determine operational methods or procedures | |||
| Inspect completed work or finished products | |||
| Evaluate production inputs or outputs | |||
| Monitor equipment operation | |||
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects | |||
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment |
Show all 18 activities
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Shape materials to create products | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Notify others of emergencies or problems | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment | |||
| Package objects | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Operate pumping systems or equipment | |||
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A recipe or meal plan39%
- Advice or a recommendation33%
- An explanation or answer16%
- An analysis or summary2%
- Math or a calculation2%
How they worked with Claude
16% 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 batchmakers 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 next
of 8,040 moves out
- 1 Industrial Production Managers High +2.6% 12%
- 2 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 11%
- 3 Designers, All Other High +1.2% 10%
- 4 Chefs and Head Cooks Moderate +6.6% 4%
- 5 Food Service Managers Moderate +5.8% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 5,126 moves in
- 1 Cashiers High -6.5% 6%
- 2 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 5%
- 3 Industrial Production Managers High +2.6% 5%
- 4 Designers, All Other High +1.2% 5%
- 5 Food Service Managers Moderate +5.8% 5%
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
- 14% less than high school
- 38% high school
- 22% postsecondary certificate
- 27% some college
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 19 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 17% less than high school
- 40% high school
- 23% some college
- 10% associate's
- 9% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 828 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
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
2 programs: Brewing Science and Zymology/Fermentation Science.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
12.0% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a certification | <0.5% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a license | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
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
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (CHEESEMAKER). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Food Batchmakers” there.
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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