Food Preparation Workers pay in Birmingham
$30,230avg. a year
$14.54 an hour · 4,320 employed
Food Preparation Workers in the Birmingham, AL metro area earn an average of $30,230 a year. That is $1,770 (6%) more than the Alabama average of $28,460. The U.S. average is $35,290.
$29,260Median pay
$14.54Average hourly
+6%vs. Alabama average
4,320Jobs in this metro
Other Alabama metro areas
Average pay for food preparation workers in other Alabama metro areas. Swipe to see all 12.
1
Huntsville, AL
$30,590
$14.71 an hour
21,190 jobs
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL
$28,970
$13.93 an hour
3430 jobs
Decatur, AL
$28,690
$13.79 an hour
4870 jobs
Tuscaloosa, AL
$28,600
$13.75 an hour
5830 jobs
Columbus, GA-AL
$28,570
$13.73 an hour
6730 jobs
Auburn-Opelika, AL
$28,560
$13.73 an hour
71,430 jobs
Mobile, AL
$28,400
$13.65 an hour
8540 jobs
Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL
$27,410
$13.18 an hour
91,470 jobs
Montgomery, AL
$27,200
$13.08 an hour
10430 jobs
Anniston-Oxford, AL
$26,570
$12.78 an hour
11310 jobs
Gadsden, AL
$26,520
$12.75 an hour
12650 jobs
Dothan, AL
$26,450
$12.71 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.
How Birmingham compares
Pay range: metro vs. state vs. U.S.
Annual wage percentiles, May 2025
This metroAlabamaU.S.
Alabama metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 · this metro highlighted
Related jobs in Birmingham
| Job | Avg. pay in this metro |
|---|---|
| Cooks, Fast Food | $28,550 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $26,610 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $27,870 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $42,730 |
| Cooks, Restaurant | $34,010 |
| Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | $28,980 |
Questions and answers
How much do food preparation workers make in Birmingham?
The average is $30,230 a year, and the median is $29,260. About 4,320 people work in this job in the metro area.
Is that more than the Alabama average?
That is $1,770 (6%) more than the Alabama average of $28,460.
Is this job common in Birmingham?
It makes up 8.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the metro area, 1.44 times the national share.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, occupation code 35-2021. Metro area: Birmingham, AL metropolitan statistical area (BLS area code 13820). Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.