Food Processing Workers, All Other
All food processing workers not listed separately.
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What the data says: Jobs are projected to grow 5.5% by 2035. Its tasks haven't been rated for what AI could do. 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 84% 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 | $37,510 | $36,680 to $39,010 | 460 |
| Arizona | $45,330 | $40,840 to $45,330 | 600 |
| Arkansas | $37,840 | $35,190 to $43,220 | 1,770 |
| California | $38,230 | $36,390 to $43,200 | 7,140 |
| Colorado | $46,930 | $41,950 to $49,020 | 610 |
| Connecticut | $37,450 | $35,070 to $40,060 | not published |
| Delaware | $39,470 | $38,400 to $39,800 | 510 |
| Florida | $41,390 | $38,090 to $48,230 | 1,050 |
| Georgia | $37,810 | $34,700 to $39,160 | 5,650 |
| Idaho | $46,820 | $40,200 to $55,650 | 130 |
| Illinois | $45,340 | $40,450 to $48,200 | 2,760 |
| Indiana | $41,250 | $39,570 to $41,250 | 910 |
| Iowa | $41,740 | $40,320 to $42,160 | 5,210 |
| Kansas | $46,060 | $40,800 to $46,390 | 560 |
| Kentucky | $37,450 | $37,140 to $41,970 | 690 |
| Louisiana | $31,230 | $28,970 to $36,960 | 2,950 |
| Maine | $38,270 | $35,520 to $40,700 | 110 |
| Maryland | $35,870 | $34,390 to $35,870 | 2,450 |
| Massachusetts | $43,200 | $40,750 to $48,470 | 210 |
| Michigan | $38,750 | $37,620 to $40,560 | 430 |
| Minnesota | $41,800 | $38,580 to $43,630 | 2,000 |
| Mississippi | $38,150 | $33,470 to $42,560 | 590 |
| Missouri | $44,050 | $39,430 to $45,140 | 1,630 |
| Montana | $37,740 | $35,480 to $44,400 | 140 |
| Nevada | $30,120 | $29,590 to $41,620 | 590 |
| New Hampshire | $45,410 | $40,590 to $48,440 | 80 |
| New Jersey | $34,670 | $32,230 to $40,220 | 940 |
| New Mexico | $34,560 | $26,060 to $37,950 | 230 |
| New York | $42,920 | $39,820 to $46,800 | 400 |
| North Carolina | $37,360 | $35,110 to $42,600 | 4,770 |
| North Dakota | $45,120 | $43,020 to $55,160 | 50 |
| Ohio | $39,470 | $38,210 to $44,500 | 1,640 |
| Oklahoma | $38,530 | $37,320 to $41,380 | 360 |
| Oregon | $38,170 | $35,210 to $45,180 | 760 |
| Pennsylvania | $41,620 | $37,580 to $47,780 | 1,350 |
| Rhode Island | $34,770 | $31,200 to $34,770 | 160 |
| South Carolina | $37,060 | $35,620 to $39,000 | 510 |
| Tennessee | $42,690 | $37,710 to $46,320 | 1,910 |
| Texas | $40,150 | $36,290 to $43,270 | 6,780 |
| Utah | $41,400 | $30,830 to $44,240 | 620 |
| Vermont | $43,300 | $39,890 to $48,520 | 120 |
| Virginia | $37,810 | $34,790 to $41,290 | 1,190 |
| Washington | $43,980 | $43,980 to $44,990 | 920 |
| West Virginia | $37,750 | $37,240 to $38,550 | 100 |
| Wisconsin | $40,590 | $38,290 to $51,590 | 340 |
| Wyoming | $42,740 | $40,650 to $45,140 | 30 |
Nationally: $39,680. 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.
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 processing workers, all other 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 1 moves in
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 20% less than high school
- 48% high school
- 17% some college
- 7% associate's
- 6% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 1,317 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
<5% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | not published | |
| a certification | not published | |
| an educational certificate | 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
- 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
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/51-3099.00