How much do food production managers make in 2026?
Food production managers are reported in SOC 11-3051, industrial production managers, which BLS OEWS May 2025 puts at a national median of $126,060 a year, or $60.61 an hour, with a P10 to P90 range of $78,000 to $205,520 across 246,250 workers. This is a close match onto a cross-industry code, and the industry composition matters: the code covers production management in aerospace, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, automotive and food alike, and the higher-margin sectors pull the upper percentiles upward. Food manufacturing generally pays below the code's median for equivalent scope, because margins are thin and the commodity nature of much of the output limits what plant leadership can command. Within food specifically, the pay drivers are plant size, shift structure and product risk: managers running large multi-shift operations, or plants making high-risk ready-to-eat products where food safety failure would be catastrophic, sit above those running smaller ambient operations. Yield, labour efficiency and sanitation downtime are the metrics the role is judged on, and they are unforgiving. BLS projects 1.9% growth through 2034 with roughly 17,100 openings a year. → Full food production manager career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $126,060 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Food Production Managers earn a national median $126,060/yr ($60.61/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 11-3051); the P10 to P90 range is $78,000 to $205,520.
- The SOC row covers production management across all manufacturing, and higher-margin sectors pull its upper percentiles up, so food plants generally pay below the code median for equivalent scope.
- Plant size, shift structure and product risk set position in the band, with large multi-shift and high-risk ready-to-eat operations paying most.
- The role is judged on yield, labour efficiency and sanitation downtime, metrics that are measured continuously and leave little room for a bad quarter.
US Food Production Manager Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do food production managers earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 11-3051; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 11-3051, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a food production manager earn at each career stage?
Food production management pay follows plant scale and shift complexity. Each median below is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 11-3051.
By State
Which states pay food production managers the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates, not BLS state observations: the national median for SOC 11-3051 scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index. Food plants sit near agricultural supply and distribution corridors rather than in high-wage metros, and plant management pay is set against the plant's scale rather than the state's wage level.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($144,970), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay food production managers the most?
Metro figures are modeled, national median times state wage index times published metro index, not BLS metropolitan observations. A large share of food manufacturing is in small towns and rural areas where the metro index does not apply at all.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a food production manager’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does food production manager pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Food Production Managers sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify food production manager wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a food production manager actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Food Production Manager Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
Food Production Manager career research journey
Do your homework, then let the network do the rest.Get the job, then keep rising
FreeSet your intent, matching jobs come to you. No applying.
A roadmap to your next licence tier and higher pay band.
Once placed, we cover all certification, licence & career-guide fees.
Hiring food production managers?
Get a verified shortlist of 3–5 qualified candidates in 48 hours
GlobalCybers verifies active state licenses, trade certifications, Intent and right-to-work status before any candidate reaches your portal. Flat $2,999/mo RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing), up to 3 concurrent roles, or a free trial (pay on hire). 90-day written guarantee.
Related · Food Production Manager
Everything for food production managers in one place
Salary data, licensing, interview prep, and hiring, all cross-linked so you (and search engines) can move through the full food production manager cluster.