Food Preparation Workers pay in St. Louis
$34,370avg. a year
$16.52 an hour · 6,220 employed
Food Preparation Workers in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area earn an average of $34,370 a year. That is about the same as the Missouri average of $34,040. The U.S. average is $35,290.
$32,400Median pay
$16.52Average hourly
+1%vs. Missouri average
6,220Jobs in this metro
Other Missouri metro areas
Average pay for food preparation workers in other Missouri metro areas. Swipe to see all 7.
11,490 jobs
Springfield, MO
$37,730
$18.14 an hour
25,080 jobs
Kansas City, MO-KS
$34,170
$16.43 an hour
3410 jobs
Joplin, MO-KS
$32,860
$15.80 an hour
4260 jobs
Jefferson City, MO
$32,850
$15.79 an hour
5470 jobs
Columbia, MO
$32,430
$15.59 an hour
6440 jobs
St. Joseph, MO-KS
$32,200
$15.48 an hour
7240 jobs
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL
$31,560
$15.17 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 St. Louis compares
Pay range: metro vs. state vs. U.S.
Annual wage percentiles, May 2025
This metroMissouriU.S.
Missouri metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 · this metro highlighted
Related jobs in St. Louis
| Job | Avg. pay in this metro |
|---|---|
| Cooks, Restaurant | $40,500 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | $32,470 |
| Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | $37,000 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $32,800 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $39,070 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $44,790 |
Questions and answers
How much do food preparation workers make in St. Louis?
The average is $34,370 a year, and the median is $32,400. About 6,220 people work in this job in the metro area.
Is that more than the Missouri average?
That is about the same as the Missouri average of $34,040.
Is this job common in St. Louis?
It makes up 4.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the metro area, 0.81 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: St. Louis, MO-IL metropolitan statistical area (BLS area code 41180). 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.