Food Preparation Workers Salary: $34,220 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 888,770 food preparation workers work nationally, and $34,220 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 8% from the first to the last year; much hiring sits in accommodation and food services.
Food Preparation Workers: what the data shows
Common questions about food preparation workers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a food preparation workers?
Food Preparation Workers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 35-2021.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 888,770 workers.
What does a food preparation workers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Handling and Moving Objects, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a food preparation workers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $34,220 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $41,662 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $35,831 |
| 25th percentile | $36,838 |
| Median (50th) | $39,235 |
| 75th percentile | $45,282 |
| 90th percentile | $49,272 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Time Management, Coordination, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Active Listening, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Public Safety and Security, Food Production. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is food preparation workers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.3% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -1.4%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -2.9%.
Current U.S. headcount: 888,770.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do food preparation workerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 888,770 | 18.5% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 848,940 | 17.7% |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 515,940 | 10.7% |
| Food Services and Drinking Places | 499,130 | 10.4% |
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 442,900 | 9.2% |
| Retail Trade | 233,660 | 4.9% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Food Preparation Workers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products | 26,870 | $35,430 |
| Food Batchmakers | 171,660 | $40,790 |
| Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders | 19,500 | $42,730 |
| Food Scientists and Technologists | 14,370 | $85,310 |
| Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders | 27,660 | $40,550 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | 1,187,460 | $42,010 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other | 89,580 | $34,830 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Food Preparation Workers workforce.
Employment Over Time
888,770 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Food Preparation Workers shrank from 413,760 in 2009 to 394,940 in 2025 (4.5%).
Historical employment for Food Preparation Workers from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$34,220 Median pay (BLS national)
Food Preparation Workers earn $34,220 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Food Preparation Workers.
Salary distribution for Food Preparation Workers.
Employment Growth Projections
-0.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
389,236 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -1.4%
383,614 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -2.9%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Food Preparation Workers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Food Preparation Workers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Food Preparation Workers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Food Preparation Workers.
Wage Trends by Industry
1.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Food Preparation Workers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Food Preparation Workers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 106,040 employees, $30,140 avg wage
- CA: 98,950 employees, $40,510 avg wage
- FL: 67,030 employees, $34,520 avg wage
- NY: 51,880 employees, $38,460 avg wage
- LA: 35,130 employees, $24,770 avg wage
- IL: 29,320 employees, $35,820 avg wage
- GA: 27,200 employees, $32,730 avg wage
- NJ: 25,170 employees, $36,960 avg wage
- NC: 24,420 employees, $30,030 avg wage
- MN: 23,720 employees, $35,170 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Food Preparation Workers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 54,130 employees, $38,960 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 39,020 employees, $40,290 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 24,250 employees, $31,800 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 24,090 employees, $36,560 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 22,840 employees, $31,840 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 17,520 employees, $35,030 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 16,880 employees, $34,100 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 16,060 employees, $35,940 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 14,120 employees, $36,720 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 12,470 employees, $42,070 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Food Preparation Workers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Food Preparation Workers in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Food Preparation Workers is about 888,770 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Food Preparation Workers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Food Preparation Workers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Food Preparation Workers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Food Preparation Workers in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Food Preparation Workers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Food Preparation Workers workers.
Education level distribution for Food Preparation Workers.
Skills
Food Preparation Workers need many skills, but most especially Time Management, Coordination, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation.
Required skills for Food Preparation Workers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Food Preparation Workers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Food Preparation Workers include Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Public Safety and Security, Food Production, English Language.
Knowledge areas required for Food Preparation Workers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Food Preparation Workers include Near Vision, Oral Expression, Manual Dexterity, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Speech Recognition.
Required abilities for Food Preparation Workers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Food Preparation Workers.
Daily Activities
Food Preparation Workers spend their time on activities such as Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Handling and Moving Objects, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials.
Most important work activities for Food Preparation Workers.
About
Food Preparation Workers
Food Preparation Workers earn $34,220 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
35-2021 - Food Preparation Workers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Food Preparation Workers reports an average salary of $41,662.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 888,770 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -0.3%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.