Pay for packers is unusually consistent across the country: $21,840 at the bottom of the range, $48,780 at the top, a spread of only 2.23×. Where you work matters less for this role than it does for most — which usually points to pay being set by structure (scales, licensure, collective agreements) rather than local bidding.
From $27,890 at the 10th percentile to $47,100 at the 90th is only 1.69×, which is narrow. Pay for packers is set more by structure than by individual outcome — scales, steps, licensure. That makes income predictable and makes the ceiling real: the way to earn materially more is usually to change role or location, not to out-perform within this one.
5 of the ten best-paying metros for packers are in . When one state dominates the top of the table like this, cost of living is doing part of the work but rarely all of it — state licensing rules, public-sector pay scales and the presence of a few large employers usually explain the rest. If you are comparing an offer in against one elsewhere, adjust for housing before concluding anything.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greeley CO | $48,780 | $23.45 | 0.47 | 200 |
| Eastern and Southern Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $48,030 | $23.09 | 0.6 | 150 |
| Sheboygan WI | $47,550 | $22.86 | 1.87 | 410 |
| South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area | $47,350 | $22.77 | 1.37 | 850 |
| Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area | $46,950 | $22.57 | 2 | 1,390 |
| Hinesville GA | $45,970 | $22.10 | 0.69 | 50 |
| Northeast Nebraska nonmetropolitan area | $45,910 | $22.07 | 1.26 | 430 |
| Kansas City MO-KS | $44,460 | $21.38 | 2.25 | 8,890 |
| Lawrence KS | $44,370 | $21.33 | 0.49 | 90 |
| Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area | $44,030 | $21.17 | 1.26 | 440 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $44,010 | $21.16 | 0.57 | 4,270 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $43,970 | $21.14 | 2.22 | 23,180 |
| Central Indiana nonmetropolitan area | $43,590 | $20.96 | 1.09 | 630 |
| Central East New York nonmetropolitan area | $43,500 | $20.91 | 1.06 | 600 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $43,450 | $20.89 | 1.49 | 51,020 |
| Fairbanks-College AK | $42,700 | $20.53 | 0.67 | 90 |
| Rochester MN | $42,520 | $20.44 | 0.26 | 110 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $42,410 | $20.39 | 0.88 | 3,600 |
| York-Hanover PA | $41,800 | $20.09 | 2.97 | 1,960 |
| Anchorage AK | $41,690 | $20.04 | 0.54 | 340 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $41,610 | $20.01 | 0.67 | 5,750 |
| Duluth MN-WI | $41,370 | $19.89 | 0.22 | 100 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $41,350 | $19.88 | 0.48 | 2,800 |
| Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area | $40,880 | $19.66 | 1.33 | 1,010 |
| Modesto CA | $40,680 | $19.56 | 2.31 | 1,620 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area | $21,840 | $10.50 | 1.42 | 150 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $21,840 | $10.50 | 1.1 | 2,750 |
| Ponce PR | $21,840 | $10.50 | 1.2 | 280 |
| Mayaguez PR | $21,840 | $10.50 | 1.73 | 330 |
| Arecibo PR | $21,840 | $10.50 | 0.73 | 90 |
| Aguadilla PR | $21,840 | $10.50 | 1.25 | 220 |
| West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area | $22,240 | $10.69 | 0.17 | 50 |
| Wasatch Front Fringe Utah nonmetropolitan area | $23,050 | $11.08 | 0.6 | 150 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission TX | $23,550 | $11.32 | 0.81 | 860 |
| Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux LA | $23,740 | $11.42 | 0.21 | 60 |
Vineland has 10.59× the national concentration of packers — the densest market in the country for this role, with 2,380 employed locally. Pay there is $34,010, which does not put it near the top of the pay table. Concentration and compensation are different things — a dense market is easier to get hired in and easier to move around within, but the competition that makes it dense also caps what employers need to offer.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vineland NJ | $34,010 | $16.35 | 10.59 | 2,380 |
| Yakima WA | $36,080 | $17.35 | 5.78 | 2,020 |
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee WA | $35,990 | $17.30 | 5.17 | 950 |
| Merced CA | $34,320 | $16.50 | 4.05 | 1,160 |
| Salinas CA | $35,480 | $17.06 | 4.02 | 2,700 |
| Kenosha WI | $37,810 | $18.18 | 3.84 | 1,040 |
| Goldsboro NC | $34,200 | $16.44 | 3.23 | 470 |
| York-Hanover PA | $41,800 | $20.09 | 2.97 | 1,960 |
| Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area | $32,070 | $15.42 | 2.76 | 1,520 |
| Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area | $35,790 | $17.21 | 2.73 | 1,070 |
| Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area | $37,290 | $17.93 | 2.69 | 940 |
| Stockton-Lodi CA | $36,660 | $17.63 | 2.64 | 2,760 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $43,450 | $20.89 | 1.49 | 51,020 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $37,390 | $17.98 | 1.12 | 25,350 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $43,970 | $21.14 | 2.22 | 23,180 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $33,090 | $15.91 | 1.34 | 19,580 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $36,180 | $17.40 | 1.11 | 17,960 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $33,740 | $16.22 | 1.16 | 11,250 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $27,970 | $13.45 | 1.1 | 11,200 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA | $38,400 | $18.46 | 1.71 | 10,560 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $34,010 | $16.35 | 0.99 | 10,350 |
| Kansas City MO-KS | $44,460 | $21.38 | 2.25 | 8,890 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $30,690 | $14.76 | 0.72 | 8,540 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia NC-SC | $37,030 | $17.80 | 1.33 | 6,500 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 53-7064. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 506 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.