United States
Food Preparation Workers salary in the United States
Median annual pay
$34,220
Food Preparation Workers in the United States earn a median of $34,220 a year, about $16.45 an hour.
Median
$34,220
per year
Hourly
$16.45
as published
Mean
$33,940
pulled up by top earners
Workers
888,770
in this occupation
Where it pays more in the United States
Median pay for this occupation by area, highest-employing first.
| Area | Type | Median | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | State | $28,660 | -16% |
| California | State | $38,150 | +11% |
| Florida | State | $35,190 | +3% |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Metro | $36,330 | +6% |
| New York | State | $36,030 | +5% |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Metro | $37,580 | +10% |
| Louisiana | State | $22,900 | -33% |
| Illinois | State | $34,180 | -0% |
| Georgia | State | $32,890 | -4% |
| New Jersey | State | $34,910 | +2% |
| North Carolina | State | $29,410 | -14% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | Metro | $30,250 | -12% |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Metro | $35,020 | +2% |
| Minnesota | State | $34,820 | +2% |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | Metro | $29,770 | -13% |
| Tennessee | State | $28,980 | -15% |
| Washington | State | $38,950 | +14% |
| Pennsylvania | State | $30,150 | -12% |
| Wisconsin | State | $32,810 | -4% |
| Ohio | State | $31,590 | -8% |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | Metro | $34,820 | +2% |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | Metro | $35,700 | +4% |
| Virginia | State | $31,500 | -8% |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | Metro | $35,660 | +4% |
| Arizona | State | $35,480 | +4% |
Regional figures come from the same release as the national one. Where an area is missing, the source suppressed it for sample-size reasons rather than reporting an unreliable estimate.
How United States measured this
Employer payroll survey of ~1.1m establishments
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 · Public domain (US Government work)
Related occupations in the United States
- Fast Food and Counter Workers $30,480
- Waiters and Waitresses $33,760
- Cooks, Restaurant $36,830
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $42,010
- Bartenders $33,530
- Cooks, Fast Food $30,160
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers $32,670
- Dishwashers $33,670
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria $36,450
- Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop $30,380
- Food Servers, Nonrestaurant $34,460
- Chefs and Head Cooks $60,990