Salary by Metro

SOC 35-2021 · Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations

Food Preparation Workers wages by metro

National median annual wage

$35,320

10th percentile
$25,810
25th percentile
$29,950
Median
$35,320
75th percentile
$38,550
90th percentile
$45,340
Mean
$35,290

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

National employment in May 2025: 893,600.

That median is 30.7% lower than the all-occupations national median of $50,980.

The metro and state figures below are the same May 2025 release. A blank wage means BLS did not publish it. See when a wage is not published.

A U.S. Air Force firefighter standing beside a fire truck
Senior Airman Stephen Czech, a firefighter at Spangdahlem Air Base, in 2021. Photograph by Staff Sgt. Susan Roberts, U.S. Air Force. Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Highest published medians

Metros with the highest published annual medians for Food Preparation Workers.
OccupationEmployment10thMedian90th
Kahului-Wailuku, HI720$34,510$46,680$70,710
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA5,930$37,340$45,580$55,550
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA11,060$35,410$43,830$54,700
Napa, CA620$36,450$42,810$55,650
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA1,410$36,060$42,640$51,530
Yakima, WA600$34,650$41,750$46,350
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA14,470$36,600$41,000$54,270
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA510$34,580$40,140$47,680
Walla Walla, WA210$34,650$40,030$44,850
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA44,930$36,000$39,770$46,810
Boulder, CO650$31,290$39,690$50,200
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH9,630$34,760$39,660$48,450
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO6,640$30,800$39,470$48,600
Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA580$35,840$39,400$52,310
Greeley, CO530$32,110$39,150$47,800
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA830$35,170$39,110$50,540
Merced, CA460$34,320$38,980$47,110
Vallejo, CA930$35,770$38,840$47,590
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA9,360$35,820$38,780$47,410
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA6,870$35,070$38,730$50,280

Where employment is largest

Metros with the most Food Preparation Workers jobs in the May 2025 tables.
OccupationEmployment10thMedian90th
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ63,530$34,080$35,670$47,650
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA44,930$36,000$39,770$46,810
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN27,100$31,200$35,410$45,330
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX21,700$24,320$30,740$44,110
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL19,630$28,880$36,090$44,160
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA17,060$27,910$36,090$42,010
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI16,810$30,250$35,100$46,690
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX16,240$23,250$35,020$41,870
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV14,810$31,340$37,630$45,010
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA14,470$36,600$41,000$54,270
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ11,910$31,730$37,580$44,640
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA11,190$34,320$38,420$48,040
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA11,060$35,410$43,830$54,700
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD10,780$28,240$34,560$43,300
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL10,300$27,910$35,600$38,790
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL10,150$28,080$36,330$43,220
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH9,630$34,760$39,660$48,450
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV9,460$26,280$33,870$51,110
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA9,360$35,820$38,780$47,410
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX9,350$26,940$34,880$43,610

States and territories

State estimates for Food Preparation Workers, May 2025.
OccupationEmployment10thMedian90th
Washington19,510$34,890$40,910$51,730
District of Columbia3,970$37,510$39,600$45,370
California112,750$35,190$39,350$48,470
Colorado12,080$30,800$38,960$49,000
Massachusetts13,620$34,280$38,900$48,420
Hawaii5,950$29,950$38,160$57,720
Oregon11,860$31,560$37,450$48,580
North Dakota980$28,400$36,800$43,840
New Hampshire3,420$26,830$36,780$45,980
Arizona16,590$31,300$36,750$44,640
Connecticut12,250$34,010$36,650$47,790
Vermont1,350$31,840$36,550$49,020
Wyoming1,620$22,880$36,110$46,590
Maine4,560$31,150$36,030$46,400
Delaware2,400$31,200$35,930$43,070
Florida73,100$28,190$35,920$43,300
Alaska2,800$30,350$35,720$46,440
New York62,380$33,280$35,610$46,800
New Jersey24,730$32,220$35,540$46,070
Maryland13,280$31,290$35,500$45,890
Rhode Island2,830$31,200$35,470$45,220
Georgia26,450$24,840$35,250$40,390
Nebraska6,890$28,740$35,210$42,560
Virginia16,340$28,460$34,900$42,480
Illinois34,820$31,200$34,850$44,990
Minnesota24,620$29,150$34,850$45,790
Ohio19,480$26,640$34,530$44,500
Wisconsin17,990$26,080$34,070$44,290
Montana2,990$26,000$33,860$43,410
Utah10,530$26,740$33,540$45,290
Nevada11,420$26,140$33,460$50,600
New Mexico6,850$27,290$33,370$38,200
South Carolina14,460$22,990$32,180$40,370
Idaho4,670$22,150$31,510$40,260
Missouri13,650$28,600$31,510$44,440
Michigan17,380$26,540$31,180$38,620
Pennsylvania17,940$22,360$30,840$39,600
Texas81,280$22,790$30,650$42,450
Virgin Islands390$27,150$30,460$31,960
South Dakota3,270$26,510$30,430$38,580
Iowa4,170$23,760$30,360$40,250
Kansas7,680$22,880$30,280$39,220
North Carolina24,960$21,870$30,260$38,760
Indiana16,200$23,170$29,700$39,050
Tennessee19,780$22,290$28,700$39,660
Oklahoma7,430$20,800$28,540$35,980
West Virginia2,960$21,570$28,360$35,890
Alabama17,680$20,820$27,930$37,580
Arkansas5,500$24,020$27,660$36,260
Kentucky15,390$20,900$26,850$37,830
Mississippi7,870$18,790$26,240$36,100
Louisiana30,920$17,970$23,620$34,190
Puerto Rico4,130$21,840$22,400$27,550
Guam530$20,700$21,820$25,580

Other food preparation and serving related occupations

Questions this page answers

What is the national median wage for Food Preparation Workers?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, the national median annual wage for Food Preparation Workers is $35,320. Employment is 893,600.

How does Food Preparation Workers pay compare with all occupations?

The national median for Food Preparation Workers is 30.7% lower than the all-occupations median of $50,980.

Which metro has the highest published median for Food Preparation Workers?

Among metros with a published annual median in the May 2025 tables, Kahului-Wailuku, HI is highest on this page's list at $46,680.