How much do Food Preparation Workers make in Paducah, KY-IL?

Percentile spread

For Food Preparation Workers, the published 10th percentile is $21,300 and the 90th percentile is $36,260. The difference is $14,960, 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 $23,310 to the 75th at $32,650, covers $9,340.

The mean annual wage is $28,490, which sits above the median of $27,210. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Paducah, KY-IL median is 23% lower than the national median of $35,320 for Food Preparation Workers. In 2024 national prices the local median is $31,609, which is 10.5% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 1.3% higher than the Kentucky median of $26,850.

Paducah, KY-IL covers more than one state. The state comparison uses Kentucky, the primary state on the BLS area record.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Paducah, KY-IL is 86.084, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $27,210 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Food Preparation Workers at $31,609 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

18 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Food Preparation Workers. Paducah, KY-IL ranks 14th of 19 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).).

• Cape Girardeau, MO-IL is 60 miles away, with a median of $28,860 and employment of 240. That median is 6.1% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $33,528, against $31,609 here.
• Clarksville, TN-KY is 66 miles away, with a median of $27,030 and employment of 790. That median is 0.7% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $29,721, against $31,609 here.
• Evansville, IN is 91 miles away, with a median of $28,440 and employment of 860. That median is 4.5% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $31,072, against $31,609 here.

Employment share

Food Preparation Workers accounts for 0.95% of wage-and-salary employment in Paducah, KY-IL (480 of 50,270). Nationally the occupation is 0.57% of employment (893,600 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.66 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.