Food Preparation Workers pay in the U.S.
$35,290avg. a year
$16.96 an hour · 893,600 employed
Food Preparation Workers in the U.S. earn an average of $35,290 a year and a median of $35,320. Pay is highest in Washington ($42,660) and lowest in Louisiana ($25,580).
$35,320Median pay
$16.96Average hourly
+32%Avg. pay since 2020
893,600Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for food preparation workers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
119,510 jobs
Washington
$42,660
$20.51 an hour
25,950 jobs
Hawaii
$41,670
$20.03 an hour
3112,750 jobs
California
$41,480
$19.94 an hour
43,970 jobs
District of Columbia
$41,350
$19.88 an hour
513,620 jobs
Massachusetts
$41,030
$19.73 an hour
612,080 jobs
Colorado
$40,210
$19.33 an hour
711,860 jobs
Oregon
$39,510
$19.00 an hour
812,250 jobs
Connecticut
$39,290
$18.89 an hour
91,350 jobs
Vermont
$38,850
$18.68 an hour
1062,380 jobs
New York
$38,310
$18.42 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Food Preparation Workers pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $32k$32k–$35k$35k–$38k$38k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $48,150 | $23.15 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $45,660 | $21.95 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $44,390 | $21.34 |
| Napa, CA | $44,240 | $21.27 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $43,450 | $20.89 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $43,290 | $20.81 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $42,910 | $20.63 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $42,060 | $20.22 |
Related jobs
- Cooks, Restaurant$38,730
- Cooks, Fast Food$32,390
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria$38,810
- Cooks, Short Order$36,120
- Cooks, All Other$39,150
- Cooks, Private Household$53,680
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Food Preparation Workers pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $28,460 | $27,930 | 17,680 |
| Alaska | $37,230 | $35,720 | 2,800 |
| Arizona | $37,810 | $36,750 | 16,590 |
| Arkansas | $29,460 | $27,660 | 5,500 |
| California | $41,480 | $39,350 | 112,750 |
| Colorado | $40,210 | $38,960 | 12,080 |
| Connecticut | $39,290 | $36,650 | 12,250 |
| Delaware | $36,360 | $35,930 | 2,400 |
| District of Columbia | $41,350 | $39,600 | 3,970 |
| Florida | $35,210 | $35,920 | 73,100 |
| Georgia | $33,970 | $35,250 | 26,450 |
| Hawaii | $41,670 | $38,160 | 5,950 |
| Idaho | $32,380 | $31,510 | 4,670 |
| Illinois | $36,260 | $34,850 | 34,820 |
| Indiana | $31,560 | $29,700 | 16,200 |
| Iowa | $32,080 | $30,360 | 4,170 |
| Kansas | $31,460 | $30,280 | 7,680 |
| Kentucky | $28,760 | $26,850 | 15,390 |
| Louisiana | $25,580 | $23,620 | 30,920 |
| Maine | $37,470 | $36,030 | 4,560 |
| Maryland | $37,090 | $35,500 | 13,280 |
| Massachusetts | $41,030 | $38,900 | 13,620 |
| Michigan | $32,720 | $31,180 | 17,380 |
| Minnesota | $35,610 | $34,850 | 24,620 |
| Mississippi | $26,750 | $26,240 | 7,870 |
| Missouri | $34,040 | $31,510 | 13,650 |
| Montana | $33,700 | $33,860 | 2,990 |
| Nebraska | $34,880 | $35,210 | 6,890 |
| Nevada | $36,290 | $33,460 | 11,420 |
| New Hampshire | $36,440 | $36,780 | 3,420 |
| New Jersey | $37,680 | $35,540 | 24,730 |
| New Mexico | $32,880 | $33,370 | 6,850 |
| New York | $38,310 | $35,610 | 62,380 |
| North Carolina | $31,270 | $30,260 | 24,960 |
| North Dakota | $36,210 | $36,800 | 980 |
| Ohio | $34,560 | $34,530 | 19,480 |
| Oklahoma | $28,710 | $28,540 | 7,430 |
| Oregon | $39,510 | $37,450 | 11,860 |
| Pennsylvania | $31,880 | $30,840 | 17,940 |
| Rhode Island | $37,910 | $35,470 | 2,830 |
| South Carolina | $32,300 | $32,180 | 14,460 |
| South Dakota | $31,630 | $30,430 | 3,270 |
| Tennessee | $30,860 | $28,700 | 19,780 |
| Texas | $32,120 | $30,650 | 81,280 |
| Utah | $34,580 | $33,540 | 10,530 |
| Vermont | $38,850 | $36,550 | 1,350 |
| Virginia | $34,930 | $34,900 | 16,340 |
| Washington | $42,660 | $40,910 | 19,510 |
| West Virginia | $28,450 | $28,360 | 2,960 |
| Wisconsin | $34,000 | $34,070 | 17,990 |
| Wyoming | $35,210 | $36,110 | 1,620 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$38,790
63,530 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$41,220
44,930 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$36,980
27,100 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$32,960
21,700 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$35,500
19,630 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$35,390
17,060 jobsMinneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$36,390
16,810 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$33,220
16,240 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do food preparation workers make?
The average is $35,290 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $35,320 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $16.96, and the median is $16.98 an hour.
Which state pays food preparation workers the most?
Washington, with an average of $42,660 a year. The best-paying metro area is Kahului-Wailuku, HI at $48,150.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $25,810 a year, and the top 10% earn over $45,340.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 35-2021. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.