Food Preparation Workers Salaries by State
Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for food preparation workerss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).
Job Outlook, 2024–2034
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.
Salary Map
Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.
💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States
- Washington$42,660
- Hawaii$41,670
- California$41,480
- District of Columbia$41,350
- Massachusetts$41,030
📉 5 Lowest-Paying States
- Louisiana$25,580
- Mississippi$26,750
- West Virginia$28,450
- Alabama$28,460
- Oklahoma$28,710
State Rankings
| # | State | Mean | Median | Hourly | vs. U.S. | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $42,660 | $40,910 | $21 | +20.9% | 19,510 |
| 2 | Hawaii | $41,670 | $38,160 | $20 | +18.1% | 5,950 |
| 3 | California | $41,480 | $39,350 | $20 | +17.5% | 112,750 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $41,350 | $39,600 | $20 | +17.2% | 3,970 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $41,030 | $38,900 | $20 | +16.3% | 13,620 |
| 6 | Colorado | $40,210 | $38,960 | $19 | +13.9% | 12,080 |
| 7 | Oregon | $39,510 | $37,450 | $19 | +12% | 11,860 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $39,290 | $36,650 | $19 | +11.3% | 12,250 |
| 9 | Vermont | $38,850 | $36,550 | $19 | +10.1% | 1,350 |
| 10 | New York | $38,310 | $35,610 | $18 | +8.6% | 62,380 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $37,910 | $35,470 | $18 | +7.4% | 2,830 |
| 12 | Arizona | $37,810 | $36,750 | $18 | +7.1% | 16,590 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $37,680 | $35,540 | $18 | +6.8% | 24,730 |
| 14 | Maine | $37,470 | $36,030 | $18 | +6.2% | 4,560 |
| 15 | Alaska | $37,230 | $35,720 | $18 | +5.5% | 2,800 |
| 16 | Maryland | $37,090 | $35,500 | $18 | +5.1% | 13,280 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $36,440 | $36,780 | $18 | +3.3% | 3,420 |
| 18 | Delaware | $36,360 | $35,930 | $17 | +3% | 2,400 |
| 19 | Nevada | $36,290 | $33,460 | $17 | +2.8% | 11,420 |
| 20 | Illinois | $36,260 | $34,850 | $17 | +2.7% | 34,820 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $36,210 | $36,800 | $17 | +2.6% | 980 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $35,610 | $34,850 | $17 | +0.9% | 24,620 |
| 23 | Florida | $35,210 | $35,920 | $17 | -0.2% | 73,100 |
| 24 | Wyoming | $35,210 | $36,110 | $17 | -0.2% | 1,620 |
| 25 | Virginia | $34,930 | $34,900 | $17 | -1% | 16,340 |
| 26 | Nebraska | $34,880 | $35,210 | $17 | -1.2% | 6,890 |
| 27 | Utah | $34,580 | $33,540 | $17 | -2% | 10,530 |
| 28 | Ohio | $34,560 | $34,530 | $17 | -2.1% | 19,480 |
| 29 | Missouri | $34,040 | $31,510 | $16 | -3.5% | 13,650 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $34,000 | $34,070 | $16 | -3.7% | 17,990 |
| 31 | Georgia | $33,970 | $35,250 | $16 | -3.7% | 26,450 |
| 32 | Montana | $33,700 | $33,860 | $16 | -4.5% | 2,990 |
| 33 | New Mexico | $32,880 | $33,370 | $16 | -6.8% | 6,850 |
| 34 | Michigan | $32,720 | $31,180 | $16 | -7.3% | 17,380 |
| 35 | Idaho | $32,380 | $31,510 | $16 | -8.2% | 4,670 |
| 36 | South Carolina | $32,300 | $32,180 | $16 | -8.5% | 14,460 |
| 37 | Texas | $32,120 | $30,650 | $15 | -9% | 81,280 |
| 38 | Iowa | $32,080 | $30,360 | $15 | -9.1% | 4,170 |
| 39 | Pennsylvania | $31,880 | $30,840 | $15 | -9.7% | 17,940 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $31,630 | $30,430 | $15 | -10.4% | 3,270 |
| 41 | Indiana | $31,560 | $29,700 | $15 | -10.6% | 16,200 |
| 42 | Kansas | $31,460 | $30,280 | $15 | -10.9% | 7,680 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $31,270 | $30,260 | $15 | -11.4% | 24,960 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $30,860 | $28,700 | $15 | -12.6% | 19,780 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $29,460 | $27,660 | $14 | -16.5% | 5,500 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $28,760 | $26,850 | $14 | -18.5% | 15,390 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $28,710 | $28,540 | $14 | -18.6% | 7,430 |
| 48 | Alabama | $28,460 | $27,930 | $14 | -19.4% | 17,680 |
| 49 | West Virginia | $28,450 | $28,360 | $14 | -19.4% | 2,960 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $26,750 | $26,240 | $13 | -24.2% | 7,870 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $25,580 | $23,620 | $12 | -27.5% | 30,920 |
Top-Paying Metro Areas
Highest median pay among 521 metro areas.
| # | Metro area | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $46,680 | $48,150 | 720 |
| 2 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $45,580 | $45,660 | 5,930 |
| 3 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $43,830 | $44,390 | 11,060 |
| 4 | Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area | $42,950 | $43,630 | 1,000 |
| 5 | Napa, CA | $42,810 | $44,240 | 620 |
| 6 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $42,640 | $43,450 | 1,410 |
| 7 | Yakima, WA | $41,750 | $40,820 | 600 |
| 8 | Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $41,540 | $43,000 | 770 |
| 9 | Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area | $41,040 | $42,970 | 260 |
| 10 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $41,000 | $43,290 | 14,470 |
Pay by Industry
Highest-paying industries employing food preparation workerss (BLS OEWS, by median).
| # | Industry | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Legal Services | $60,990 | $54,930 | 40 |
| 2 | Office Administrative Services | $48,090 | $49,850 | 60 |
| 3 | Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers | $47,850 | $46,960 | 40 |
| 4 | Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools, State Government Owned | $47,770 | $45,170 | 2,940 |
| 5 | Outpatient Care Centers | $46,960 | $46,290 | 300 |
| 6 | Educational Services, State Government Owned | $46,880 | $45,100 | 3,580 |
| 7 | Elementary and Secondary Schools, State Government Owned | $46,820 | $46,340 | 490 |
| 8 | Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | $45,490 | $45,110 | 4,790 |
| 9 | Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools, Privately Owned | $44,810 | $45,470 | 1,700 |
| 10 | Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | $44,500 | $44,580 | 50 |
| 11 | Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | $44,500 | $44,790 | 50 |
| 12 | State Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | $43,700 | $42,300 | 5,830 |
Workforce Deep-Dive
Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.
Annual wage distribution
Pay by age band
Education level
Full-time vs part-time
Race / ethnicity
Top fields of study
Top Skills
Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do food preparation workers make in the U.S.?
The median food preparation workers salary in the United States is $35,320 per year (mean $35,290), and about 80% earn between $25,810 and $45,340.
How much do food preparation workers make per hour?
Roughly $17 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $35,290 and 2,080 work hours per year.
Which state pays food preparation workers the most?
Washington has the highest average pay for food preparation workers at $42,660 per year (median $40,910).
What is the job outlook for food preparation workers?
Employment is projected to change -3.4% from 2024 to 2034 (Decline), with about 148,000 openings per year.