Food Preparation Workers pay in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue
$44,390avg. a year
$21.34 an hour · 11,060 employed
Food Preparation Workers in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area earn an average of $44,390 a year. That is $1,730 (4%) more than the Washington average of $42,660. The U.S. average is $35,290.
$43,830Median pay
$21.34Average hourly
+4%vs. Washington average
11,060Jobs in this metro
Other Washington metro areas
Average pay for food preparation workers in other Washington metro areas. Swipe to see all 12.
1580 jobs
Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA
$42,910
$20.63 an hour
2280 jobs
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA
$41,420
$19.91 an hour
36,870 jobs
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
$41,410
$19.91 an hour
4630 jobs
Bellingham, WA
$40,960
$19.69 an hour
5680 jobs
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA
$40,900
$19.66 an hour
6600 jobs
Yakima, WA
$40,820
$19.62 an hour
7810 jobs
Kennewick-Richland, WA
$39,990
$19.23 an hour
8210 jobs
Walla Walla, WA
$39,820
$19.15 an hour
9260 jobs
Longview-Kelso, WA
$39,490
$18.98 an hour
10330 jobs
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA
$39,380
$18.94 an hour
111,310 jobs
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA
$39,060
$18.78 an hour
12170 jobs
Lewiston, ID-WA
$33,960
$16.33 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue compares
Pay range: metro vs. state vs. U.S.
Annual wage percentiles, May 2025
This metroWashingtonU.S.
Washington metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 · this metro highlighted
Related jobs in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue
| Job | Avg. pay in this metro |
|---|---|
| Cooks, Restaurant | $49,000 |
| Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | $53,820 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $42,260 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $62,940 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $64,620 |
| Bartenders | $62,090 |
Questions and answers
How much do food preparation workers make in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue?
The average is $44,390 a year, and the median is $43,830. About 11,060 people work in this job in the metro area.
Is that more than the Washington average?
That is $1,730 (4%) more than the Washington average of $42,660.
Is this job common in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue?
It makes up 5.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the metro area, 0.92 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: Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metropolitan statistical area (BLS area code 42660). 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.