Food Preparation Workers pay in New York-Newark-Jersey City
$38,790avg. a year
$18.65 an hour · 63,530 employed
Food Preparation Workers in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area earn an average of $38,790 a year. That is about the same as the New York average of $38,310. The U.S. average is $35,290.
$35,670Median pay
$18.65Average hourly
+1%vs. New York average
63,530Jobs in this metro
Other New York metro areas
Average pay for food preparation workers in other New York metro areas. Swipe to see all 12.
1280 jobs
Ithaca, NY
$37,860
$18.20 an hour
21,890 jobs
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
$37,270
$17.92 an hour
31,660 jobs
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY
$36,740
$17.67 an hour
4370 jobs
Kingston, NY
$36,490
$17.54 an hour
5550 jobs
Binghamton, NY
$36,170
$17.39 an hour
62,870 jobs
Rochester, NY
$36,140
$17.37 an hour
71,520 jobs
Syracuse, NY
$36,070
$17.34 an hour
83,290 jobs
Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY
$35,720
$17.17 an hour
9300 jobs
Glens Falls, NY
$35,660
$17.15 an hour
10160 jobs
Elmira, NY
$35,220
$16.93 an hour
11760 jobs
Utica-Rome, NY
$34,830
$16.75 an hour
12210 jobs
Watertown-Fort Drum, NY
$34,750
$16.71 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 New York-Newark-Jersey City compares
Pay range: metro vs. state vs. U.S.
Annual wage percentiles, May 2025
This metroNew YorkU.S.
New York metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 · this metro highlighted
Related jobs in New York-Newark-Jersey City
| Job | Avg. pay in this metro |
|---|---|
| Cooks, Restaurant | $43,200 |
| Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | $48,130 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $37,130 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $55,000 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $53,020 |
| Bartenders | $63,630 |
Questions and answers
How much do food preparation workers make in New York-Newark-Jersey City?
The average is $38,790 a year, and the median is $35,670. About 63,530 people work in this job in the metro area.
Is that more than the New York average?
That is about the same as the New York average of $38,310.
Is this job common in New York-Newark-Jersey City?
It makes up 6.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the metro area, 1.16 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: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metropolitan statistical area (BLS area code 35620). 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.