How much do Food Preparation Workers make in Cleveland, TN?

Percentile spread

For Food Preparation Workers, the published 10th percentile is $21,570 and the 90th percentile is $35,560. The difference is $13,990, which is 55.0% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $21,680 to the 75th at $33,280, covers $11,600.

The mean annual wage is $27,950, which sits above the median of $25,430. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Cleveland, TN median is 28% lower than the national median of $35,320 for Food Preparation Workers. In 2024 national prices the local median is $28,871, which is 18.3% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 11.4% lower than the Tennessee median of $28,700.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Cleveland, TN is 88.080, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $25,430 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Food Preparation Workers at $28,871 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

29 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Food Preparation Workers. Cleveland, TN ranks 29th of 30 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

• Dalton, GA is 26 miles away, with a median of $30,100 and employment of 200. That median is 18.4% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $33,503, against $28,871 here.
• Chattanooga, TN-GA is 40 miles away, with a median of $30,300 and employment of 1,780. That median is 19.2% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $33,128, against $28,871 here.
• Rome, GA is 68 miles away, with a median of $29,450 and employment of 240. That median is 15.8% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $32,664, against $28,871 here.

Employment share

Food Preparation Workers accounts for 0.65% of wage-and-salary employment in Cleveland, TN (280 of 43,010). Nationally the occupation is 0.57% of employment (893,600 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.13 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.