Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

51-9111 Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders

Occupational Description:
Operate or tend machines to prepare industrial or consumer products for storage or shipment. Includes cannery workers who pack food products.

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
First Quarter 2026

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Minnesota	7,340	528	$21.64/hr	$17.84/hr	$18.68/hr	$20.14/hr	$23.69/hr	$27.26/hr

Leading Industries for Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Natural Resources and Mining	N/A	N/A
Manufacturing	5,750	$21.47/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	330	$23.54/hr
Information	N/A	N/A
Professional and Business Services	1,070	$18.47/hr
Education and Health Services	N/A	N/A

Other Regional Data for Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Duluth MN-WI MSA	50	$23.41/hr	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	120	$23.29/hr	N/A
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	130	$24.16/hr	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	150	$20.13/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	160	$22.35/hr	1.5%
Rochester MN MSA	210	$19.27/hr	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	260	$23.11/hr	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	340	$22.56/hr	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	460	$19.48/hr	N/A
Southwest Balance of State	590	$21.48/hr	N/A
Northwest Balance of State	610	$21.21/hr	N/A
Northwest Minnesota	690	$21.21/hr	8.7%
Southeast Minnesota	1,030	$20.14/hr	6.7%
Central Minnesota	1,050	$21.38/hr	8.8%
Southwest Minnesota	1,160	$20.09/hr	6.7%
Southeast Balance of State	1,350	$20.14/hr	N/A
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	3,170	$21.96/hr	3.9%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	3,700	$22.00/hr	N/A
Minnesota	7,340	$20.14/hr	5.4%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change -
Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	N/A	N/A	N/A
Machine Feeders and Offbearers	410	$23.94/hr	1.7%
Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers	410	$25.87/hr	N/A
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand	120	$25.54/hr	-16.7%
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders	120	$27.80/hr	N/A
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	560	$25.60/hr	5.5%
Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders	100	$23.22/hr	0.6%
Pourers and Casters, Metal	30	$28.59/hr	-2.0%

Task for Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders

Count and record finished and rejected packaged items.
Remove finished packaged items from machine and separate rejected items.
Stack finished packaged items, or wrap protective material around each item, and pack the items in cartons or containers.
Clean packaging containers, line and pad crates, or assemble cartons to prepare for product packing.
Attach identification labels to finished packaged items, or cut stencils and stencil information on containers, such as lot numbers or shipping destinations.
Stock and sort product for packaging or filling machine operation, and replenish packaging supplies, such as wrapping paper, plastic sheet, boxes, cartons, glue, ink, or labels.
Inspect and remove defective products and packaging material.
Sort, grade, weigh, and inspect products, verifying and adjusting product weight or measurement to meet specifications.
Stop or reset machines when malfunctions occur, clear machine jams, and report malfunctions to a supervisor.
Monitor the production line, watching for problems such as pile-ups, jams, or glue that isn't sticking properly.