# Food Batchmakers

US SOC code 51-3092. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/51-3092

Also called: Batch maker, Food production operator, Mixer operator, Blending operator, Food processing technician.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **174,520** US food batchmakers, with median pay of **$42,290** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/processed-food-science-and-the-modern-meal/) of **85,000** from 1900, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for food batchmakers: Programmable logic controllers and SCADA, 1970 to 1995.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 6.5% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=51-3092&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **15.4%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Food Batchmakers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1820
- Latest US employment: 174,520 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $42,290 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [7]
- Outlook: +6.5% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [18]

### All 28 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1900 | 85,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Science History Institute [1] |
| 1940 | 120,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., US Census Bureau / IPUMS USA [2] |
| 1956 | n/a | $3,400 (estimate) | Est., Estimate derived from BLS food and… [6] |
| 1970 | 145,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., BLS [3] |
| 1990 | 135,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., BLS [4] |
| 2003 | 74,650 | $21,900 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [5] |
| 2004 | 85,010 | $22,090 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [5] |
| 2005 | 89,400 | $22,510 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [5] |
| 2006 | 92,590 | $23,100 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [5] |
| 2007 | 99,650 | $23,730 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [5] |
| 2008 | 99,170 | $24,170 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [5] |
| 2009 | 100,190 | $24,290 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [5] |
| 2010 | 97,220 | $24,640 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [5] |
| 2011 | 100,210 | $25,430 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [5] |
| 2012 | 100,520 | $26,550 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [5] |
| 2013 | 109,660 | $26,560 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 120,850 | $26,770 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [5] |
| 2015 | 133,470 | $26,950 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [5] |
| 2016 | 148,540 | $27,810 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [5] |
| 2017 | 151,950 | $28,500 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [5] |
| 2018 | 160,160 | $29,720 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [5] |
| 2019 | 159,390 | $30,790 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 153,270 | $32,710 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [5] |
| 2021 | 155,240 | $35,780 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 166,520 | $36,580 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | 169,190 | $38,460 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [5] |
| 2024 | 171,660 | $40,790 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [5] |
| 2025 | 174,520 | $42,290 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (75)

### Employment series

1. [Science History Institute -- "Processed: Food Science and the Modern Meal" (food manufacturing workforce context, early 20th century)](https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/processed-food-science-and-the-modern-meal/), Science History Institute
2. [US Census Bureau / IPUMS USA -- 1940 Census occupational classification: food manufacturing operatives (SIC 20 industries)](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/occ_ind.shtml), IPUMS / University of Minnesota
3. [BLS -- Food Manufacturing: NAICS 311 (historical context and industry employment series)](https://www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag311.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
4. [BLS -- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics: History (OES program overview, 1988-1995 data structure)](https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/oews/history.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

6. [Estimate derived from BLS food and kindred products manufacturing production-worker earnings (approx. $73/week, 1956), Employment and Earnings](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1950-1959), Derived estimate from BLS Employment and Earnings (1956) food-manufacturing operative earnings
7. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Tool eras

8. [Tetra Pak -- "A short history of mixing" (hand-cranked egg-beater 1856; first electric mixer patents 1885)](https://www.tetrapak.com/en-us/insights/cases-articles/short-history-of-mixing), Tetra Pak
9. [Science History Institute -- "Processed: Food Science and the Modern Meal" (Heinz factory hygiene protocols 1890s, early industrial food manufacturing)](https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/processed-food-science-and-the-modern-meal/), Science History Institute
10. [FDA -- "Good Manufacturing Practices for the 21st Century for Food Processing" (2004 Study, Section 1: history of food GMPs from 1906 and 1938 Acts)](https://www.fda.gov/food/current-good-manufacturing-practices-cgmps-food-and-dietary-supplements/good-manufacturing-practices-21st-century-food-processing-2004-study-section-1-current-food-good), US Food and Drug Administration
11. [US House of Representatives History -- "The Pure Food and Drugs Act" (legislative context for food safety regulation)](https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1901-1950/Pure-Food-and-Drug-Act/), US House of Representatives
12. [Association for Advancing Automation -- "Automation Innovations in Food Manufacturing" (history of PLC and automation adoption in food production)](https://www.automate.org/industry-insights/automation-innovations-in-food-manufacturing), Association for Advancing Automation
13. [ISA -- "The ISA-88 Batch Control standards" (standard history: first published 1995, updated 2010; industries including food and beverage)](https://www.isa.org/intech/2020/september-october/the-isa-88-batch-control-standards), International Society of Automation
14. [ISA-88 Wikipedia -- Batch Control Standard (approval 1995, IEC adoption 1997, origins in 1980s industry collaboration)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISA-88), Wikipedia
15. [iFactory AI 2026 -- AI in Food Production: efficiency and quality outcomes (35% fewer defects, 25% less downtime, computer-vision QC at 1,000+ units per minute)](https://ifactoryapp.com/industries/food-manufacturing/ai-in-food-production-efficiency-quality), iFactory AI
16. [Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 2025 -- AI in food industry automation: CNN vision systems 98-99.5% surface defect accuracy; LSTM predictive maintenance on sensor streams](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1575430/full), Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
17. [Plex by Rockwell Automation -- MES for Food and Beverage: automated data capture, weigh scale integration, batch scheduling, lot traceability](https://plex.rockwellautomation.com/en-us/industries/food-and-beverage.html), Plex / Rockwell Automation

### Forecasts and exposure studies

18. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 51-3092 Food batchmakers (2025: 176.8 thousand; 2035: 188.2 thousand; +6.5%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=51-3092&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
19. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 51-3092.00, human-rated β 0.154)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

20. [Science History Institute -- "Processed: Food Science and the Modern Meal" (Heinz company history and early industrial food production)](https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/processed-food-science-and-the-modern-meal/), Science History Institute
21. [US House of Representatives History -- "The Pure Food and Drugs Act" (signed June 30, 1906)](https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1901-1950/Pure-Food-and-Drug-Act/), US House of Representatives
22. [FDA -- "Good Manufacturing Practices for the 21st Century for Food Processing" (2004 Study, Section 1: regulatory history of food GMPs)](https://www.fda.gov/food/current-good-manufacturing-practices-cgmps-food-and-dietary-supplements/good-manufacturing-practices-21st-century-food-processing-2004-study-section-1-current-food-good), US Food and Drug Administration
23. [ISA -- "The ISA-88 Batch Control standards" (first published 1995; IEC adoption 1997)](https://www.isa.org/intech/2020/september-october/the-isa-88-batch-control-standards), International Society of Automation

### Predecessors & successors

24. [Tetra Pak -- "A short history of mixing" (hand mixing and early industrial food production history)](https://www.tetrapak.com/en-us/insights/cases-articles/short-history-of-mixing), Tetra Pak
25. [Science History Institute -- "Processed: Food Science and the Modern Meal" (Heinz and early industrial food manufacturing)](https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/processed-food-science-and-the-modern-meal/), Science History Institute

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET OnLine -- Food Batchmakers (51-3092.00): tasks, skills, wages, employment](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/51-3092.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook -- Food and Tobacco Processing Workers: +5% growth 2024-2034, ~37,500 annual openings](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/food-and-tobacco-processing-workers.htm), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 -- GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 2025 -- AI in food industry automation: applications and challenges](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1575430/full), accessed 2026-06-05
- [iFactory AI 2026 -- AI in Food Production: efficiency and quality outcomes (35% fewer defects, 25% less downtime)](https://ifactoryapp.com/industries/food-manufacturing/ai-in-food-production-efficiency-quality), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Plex by Rockwell Automation -- MES for Food and Beverage: lot track-and-trace, digital batch records, recall response](https://plex.rockwellautomation.com/en-us/industries/food-and-beverage.html), accessed 2026-06-05

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.