Food Preparation Workers salary by state
The median food preparation workers in the United States earned $34,220 a year in 2024, about $16.45 an hour. Across the 51 states reporting the occupation, pay runs from $38,950 in Washington down to $22,900 in Louisiana.
Food preparation and serving SOC 35-2021
What the spread means
Pay varies meaningfully by state. Washington pays about 1.7 times what Louisiana does, roughly what you would expect from cost-of-living differences plus local demand.
A high median is not automatically a better deal. States that pay well for this work are frequently expensive places to live, and the same salary buys very different amounts of housing and energy depending on where it is earned. The state pages linked below carry electricity, gas and housing figures for the same places.
Highest paying states
Lowest paying states
Where the work is concentrated
Location quotient compares how common an occupation is in a state against how common it is nationally. A value of 2 means the state employs twice the national share of these workers. It is a better guide to where the jobs actually are than the raw count, which mostly tracks state population.
| State | Concentration | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 3.19× | 35,130 | $22,900 |
| New Mexico | 1.68× | 8,330 | $29,350 |
| Alaska | 1.54× | 2,840 | $36,710 |
| Maine | 1.51× | 5,540 | $35,730 |
| Minnesota | 1.41× | 23,720 | $34,820 |
Every state
| # | State | Median salary | Hourly | 10th pct | 90th pct | Employed | vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $38,950 | $18.73 | $33,860 | $50,610 | 21,090 | + 13.8% |
| 2 | Colorado | $38,670 | $18.59 | $31,930 | $48,380 | 11,290 | + 13% |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $38,440 | $18.48 | $36,400 | $45,490 | 3,320 | + 12.3% |
| 4 | California | $38,150 | $18.34 | $34,840 | $47,910 | 98,950 | + 11.5% |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $37,780 | $18.17 | $34,310 | $50,580 | 14,890 | + 10.4% |
| 6 | Hawaii | $37,240 | $17.91 | $29,830 | $62,780 | 4,780 | + 8.8% |
| 7 | Vermont | $37,030 | $17.80 | $31,290 | $48,170 | 1,260 | + 8.2% |
| 8 | Alaska | $36,710 | $17.65 | $29,650 | $46,840 | 2,840 | + 7.3% |
| 9 | Oregon | $36,390 | $17.50 | $30,520 | $44,290 | 13,890 | + 6.3% |
| 10 | New York | $36,030 | $17.32 | $31,550 | $47,040 | 51,880 | + 5.3% |
| 11 | Maine | $35,730 | $17.18 | $30,270 | $44,520 | 5,540 | + 4.4% |
| 12 | North Dakota | $35,700 | $17.16 | $30,040 | $43,350 | 700 | + 4.3% |
| 13 | Arizona | $35,480 | $17.06 | $30,710 | $42,850 | 15,500 | + 3.7% |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $35,460 | $17.05 | $29,200 | $50,640 | 2,250 | + 3.6% |
| 15 | Connecticut | $35,420 | $17.03 | $32,640 | $45,420 | 11,450 | + 3.5% |
| 16 | Florida | $35,190 | $16.92 | $27,690 | $41,580 | 67,030 | + 2.8% |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $35,170 | $16.91 | $26,420 | $44,260 | 3,520 | + 2.8% |
| 18 | New Jersey | $34,910 | $16.78 | $31,470 | $46,570 | 25,170 | + 2% |
| 19 | Minnesota | $34,820 | $16.74 | $28,590 | $45,620 | 23,720 | + 1.8% |
| 20 | Wyoming | $34,380 | $16.53 | $24,130 | $42,400 | 1,580 | + 0.5% |
| 21 | Maryland | $34,310 | $16.50 | $31,200 | $44,160 | 12,160 | + 0.3% |
| 22 | Illinois | $34,180 | $16.44 | $29,120 | $44,610 | 29,320 | -0.1% |
| 23 | Nevada | $33,910 | $16.30 | $24,340 | $48,640 | 11,280 | -0.9% |
| 24 | Delaware | $33,280 | $16.00 | $28,580 | $41,260 | 2,480 | -2.7% |
| 25 | Georgia | $32,890 | $15.81 | $24,600 | $38,230 | 27,200 | -3.9% |
| 26 | Michigan | $32,810 | $15.78 | $25,910 | $39,830 | 14,380 | -4.1% |
| 27 | Wisconsin | $32,810 | $15.78 | $23,910 | $42,370 | 19,940 | -4.1% |
| 28 | Nebraska | $32,420 | $15.59 | $27,770 | $38,050 | 8,210 | -5.3% |
| 29 | Utah | $32,090 | $15.43 | $25,790 | $42,170 | 9,370 | -6.2% |
| 30 | Ohio | $31,590 | $15.19 | $24,680 | $39,290 | 19,290 | -7.7% |
| 31 | Virginia | $31,500 | $15.14 | $26,890 | $40,850 | 16,170 | -7.9% |
| 32 | Idaho | $31,440 | $15.12 | $20,210 | $40,220 | 4,530 | -8.1% |
| 33 | Montana | $31,420 | $15.11 | $25,920 | $39,570 | 2,700 | -8.2% |
| 34 | Missouri | $30,530 | $14.68 | $26,390 | $38,880 | 15,250 | -10.8% |
| 35 | Pennsylvania | $30,150 | $14.50 | $21,690 | $40,300 | 20,540 | -11.9% |
| 36 | Indiana | $30,090 | $14.46 | $23,220 | $39,860 | 15,340 | -12.1% |
| 37 | South Carolina | $30,050 | $14.45 | $21,960 | $38,590 | 14,500 | -12.2% |
| 38 | Iowa | $29,840 | $14.35 | $21,300 | $37,900 | 5,050 | -12.8% |
| 39 | South Dakota | $29,820 | $14.34 | $25,600 | $37,400 | 3,320 | -12.9% |
| 40 | Kansas | $29,410 | $14.14 | $22,220 | $38,980 | 7,520 | -14.1% |
| 41 | North Carolina | $29,410 | $14.14 | $21,910 | $37,010 | 24,420 | -14.1% |
| 42 | New Mexico | $29,350 | $14.11 | $26,490 | $36,340 | 8,330 | -14.2% |
| 43 | Tennessee | $28,980 | $13.94 | $22,750 | $38,820 | 22,530 | -15.3% |
| 44 | Texas | $28,660 | $13.78 | $22,040 | $38,860 | 106,040 | -16.2% |
| 45 | West Virginia | $27,610 | $13.27 | $21,440 | $36,170 | 2,830 | -19.3% |
| 46 | Arkansas | $27,330 | $13.14 | $23,860 | $35,460 | 5,860 | -20.1% |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $26,450 | $12.72 | $19,120 | $35,710 | 7,030 | -22.7% |
| 48 | Alabama | $25,510 | $12.26 | $19,600 | $36,670 | 14,540 | -25.5% |
| 49 | Kentucky | $24,520 | $11.79 | $18,390 | $35,970 | 15,500 | -28.3% |
| 50 | Mississippi | $23,190 | $11.15 | $17,990 | $34,640 | 7,490 | -32.2% |
| 51 | Louisiana | $22,900 | $11.01 | $17,590 | $33,000 | 35,130 | -33.1% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-09. Figures cover wage and salary workers and exclude the self-employed. Methodology
Frequently asked questions
How much does a food preparation workers make?
The national median is $34,220 a year, or about $16.45 an hour, as of the 2024 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey. Half of workers in the occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Which state pays food preparation workerss the most?
Washington, at a median of $38,950. Colorado ($38,670) and District of Columbia ($38,440) follow. Pay that looks high often reflects a high cost of living rather than a better deal, so it is worth reading alongside what housing and energy cost in the same state.
How many people work as food preparation workerss?
About 888,900 across the states reporting the occupation, against a national estimate of 888,770.
Is this figure a salary or an hourly rate?
Both are published. BLS surveys employers rather than workers, so these are wages paid rather than wages reported by employees, and they exclude self-employed people. Annual figures for occupations that are typically part-time or seasonal should be read with that in mind.