Food Preparation Workers
SOC code 35-2021 · Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $25,810 | $12.41 |
| 25th percentile | $29,950 | $14.40 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $35,320 | $16.98 |
| 75th percentile | $38,550 | $18.53 |
| 90th percentile | $45,340 | $21.80 |
See where a wage ranks
Estimate only, based on linear interpolation between this occupation's BLS OEWS reported percentiles above.
Wages by state (May 2024)
State-level employment and wage estimates for Food Preparation Workers (SOC 35-2021), from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) State estimates, May 2024. Data available for 51 of 51 states/DC for this occupation.
| State | Employment | Mean annual | Median annual | 10th pctl annual | 25th pctl annual | 75th pctl annual | 90th pctl annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 14,540 | $26,660 | $25,510 | $19,600 | $21,260 | $31,050 | $36,670 |
| Alaska | 2,840 | $37,840 | $36,710 | $29,650 | $31,380 | $40,170 | $46,840 |
| Arizona | 15,500 | $36,550 | $35,480 | $30,710 | $33,780 | $37,580 | $42,850 |
| Arkansas | 5,860 | $29,010 | $27,330 | $23,860 | $26,000 | $31,610 | $35,460 |
| California | 98,950 | $40,510 | $38,150 | $34,840 | $35,820 | $44,030 | $47,910 |
| Colorado | 11,290 | $40,210 | $38,670 | $31,930 | $35,750 | $44,330 | $48,380 |
| Connecticut | 11,450 | $37,450 | $35,420 | $32,640 | $33,690 | $37,060 | $45,420 |
| Delaware | 2,480 | $34,030 | $33,280 | $28,580 | $29,300 | $36,980 | $41,260 |
| District of Columbia | 3,320 | $40,120 | $38,440 | $36,400 | $37,580 | $41,960 | $45,490 |
| Florida | 67,030 | $34,520 | $35,190 | $27,690 | $30,250 | $37,020 | $41,580 |
| Georgia | 27,200 | $32,730 | $32,890 | $24,600 | $28,920 | $36,710 | $38,230 |
| Hawaii | 4,780 | $41,410 | $37,240 | $29,830 | $32,720 | $45,640 | $62,780 |
| Idaho | 4,530 | $31,380 | $31,440 | $20,210 | $24,750 | $36,610 | $40,220 |
| Illinois | 29,320 | $35,820 | $34,180 | $29,120 | $29,620 | $37,800 | $44,610 |
| Indiana | 15,340 | $31,420 | $30,090 | $23,220 | $27,040 | $35,740 | $39,860 |
| Iowa | 5,050 | $29,950 | $29,840 | $21,300 | $26,860 | $32,590 | $37,900 |
| Kansas | 7,520 | $30,480 | $29,410 | $22,220 | $26,470 | $34,550 | $38,980 |
| Kentucky | 15,500 | $26,280 | $24,520 | $18,390 | $21,070 | $30,570 | $35,970 |
| Louisiana | 35,130 | $24,770 | $22,900 | $17,590 | $21,150 | $27,590 | $33,000 |
| Maine | 5,540 | $36,320 | $35,730 | $30,270 | $31,580 | $38,460 | $44,520 |
| Maryland | 12,160 | $35,870 | $34,310 | $31,200 | $31,200 | $37,460 | $44,160 |
| Massachusetts | 14,890 | $40,620 | $37,780 | $34,310 | $35,870 | $44,310 | $50,580 |
| Michigan | 14,380 | $33,080 | $32,810 | $25,910 | $28,960 | $36,270 | $39,830 |
| Minnesota | 23,720 | $35,170 | $34,820 | $28,590 | $29,540 | $37,670 | $45,620 |
| Mississippi | 7,490 | $25,190 | $23,190 | $17,990 | $20,370 | $29,280 | $34,640 |
| Missouri | 15,250 | $32,550 | $30,530 | $26,390 | $28,410 | $35,960 | $38,880 |
| Montana | 2,700 | $32,400 | $31,420 | $25,920 | $28,110 | $35,720 | $39,570 |
| Nebraska | 8,210 | $32,790 | $32,420 | $27,770 | $28,630 | $36,040 | $38,050 |
| Nevada | 11,280 | $34,850 | $33,910 | $24,340 | $28,720 | $37,840 | $48,640 |
| New Hampshire | 3,520 | $34,870 | $35,170 | $26,420 | $29,340 | $38,350 | $44,260 |
| New Jersey | 25,170 | $36,960 | $34,910 | $31,470 | $31,610 | $38,160 | $46,570 |
| New Mexico | 8,330 | $30,840 | $29,350 | $26,490 | $27,460 | $33,830 | $36,340 |
| New York | 51,880 | $38,460 | $36,030 | $31,550 | $33,470 | $42,600 | $47,040 |
| North Carolina | 24,420 | $30,030 | $29,410 | $21,910 | $24,550 | $35,060 | $37,010 |
| North Dakota | 700 | $35,460 | $35,700 | $30,040 | $31,080 | $36,850 | $43,350 |
| Ohio | 19,290 | $32,540 | $31,590 | $24,680 | $28,230 | $36,160 | $39,290 |
| Oklahoma | 7,030 | $26,360 | $26,450 | $19,120 | $19,170 | $30,970 | $35,710 |
| Oregon | 13,890 | $36,960 | $36,390 | $30,520 | $33,590 | $38,610 | $44,290 |
| Pennsylvania | 20,540 | $31,360 | $30,150 | $21,690 | $27,470 | $35,750 | $40,300 |
| Rhode Island | 2,250 | $37,040 | $35,460 | $29,200 | $30,200 | $40,470 | $50,640 |
| South Carolina | 14,500 | $30,900 | $30,050 | $21,960 | $26,650 | $35,930 | $38,590 |
| South Dakota | 3,320 | $30,760 | $29,820 | $25,600 | $28,030 | $32,990 | $37,400 |
| Tennessee | 22,530 | $30,350 | $28,980 | $22,750 | $25,430 | $35,620 | $38,820 |
| Texas | 106,040 | $30,140 | $28,660 | $22,040 | $24,680 | $35,510 | $38,860 |
| Utah | 9,370 | $33,340 | $32,090 | $25,790 | $29,770 | $37,160 | $42,170 |
| Vermont | 1,260 | $39,220 | $37,030 | $31,290 | $34,500 | $44,480 | $48,170 |
| Virginia | 16,170 | $33,170 | $31,500 | $26,890 | $28,850 | $36,120 | $40,850 |
| Washington | 21,090 | $41,210 | $38,950 | $33,860 | $34,680 | $45,700 | $50,610 |
| West Virginia | 2,830 | $28,100 | $27,610 | $21,440 | $23,090 | $30,660 | $36,170 |
| Wisconsin | 19,940 | $32,980 | $32,810 | $23,910 | $28,440 | $37,370 | $42,370 |
| Wyoming | 1,580 | $33,980 | $34,380 | $24,130 | $30,050 | $36,860 | $42,400 |
Hourly by-state wages are in the source dataset but not rendered here (annual only, to keep this table a manageable width); see the source link below for the full file. BLS suppresses some state-level figures for reliability: an em dash (—) means BLS did not publish that figure for this state and occupation. Per BLS’s own field definitions: "*" = a wage estimate is not available; "**" = an employment estimate is not available; "#" = a wage equal to or greater than $115.00 per hour or $239,200 per year (all three are shown here as —, not guessed). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), State occupational employment and wage estimates, May 2024.
Similar-paying occupations in Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations
- Food Servers, Nonrestaurant 35-3041$35,360/yr
- Waiters and Waitresses 35-3031$35,230/yr
- Dishwashers 35-9021$34,810/yr
- Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other 35-9099$35,840/yr
- Cooks, Short Order 35-2015$35,880/yr
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 estimates. Wage figures are BLS OEWS estimates and may not reflect current pay.