Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020
35-2021 Food Preparation Workers
Perform a variety of food preparation duties other than cooking, such as preparing cold foods and shellfish, slicing meat, and brewing coffee or tea.
National estimates for Food Preparation Workers
Industry profile for Food Preparation Workers
Geographic profile for Food Preparation Workers
National estimates for Food Preparation Workers:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Food Preparation Workers:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 793,590 |
1.5 % |
$ 12.90 |
$ 26,820 |
0.4 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Food Preparation Workers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 8.88 |
$ 10.29 |
$ 12.53 |
$ 14.83 |
$ 17.79 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 18,460 |
$ 21,400 |
$ 26,070 |
$ 30,850 |
$ 37,000 |
Industry profile for Food Preparation Workers:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Food Preparation Workers are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Food Preparation Workers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Food Preparation Workers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places |
388,630 |
4.31 |
$ 12.20 |
$ 25,380 |
| Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) |
191,010 |
6.57 |
$ 13.38 |
$ 27,830 |
| Special Food Services |
40,280 |
7.22 |
$ 13.67 |
$ 28,430 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
22,560 |
0.27 |
$ 14.94 |
$ 31,070 |
| Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) |
17,610 |
1.15 |
$ 12.24 |
$ 25,450 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Food Preparation Workers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Special Food Services |
40,280 |
7.22 |
$ 13.67 |
$ 28,430 |
| Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) |
191,010 |
6.57 |
$ 13.38 |
$ 27,830 |
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places |
388,630 |
4.31 |
$ 12.20 |
$ 25,380 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1,330 |
3.94 |
$ 12.76 |
$ 26,540 |
| Other Food Manufacturing |
6,370 |
2.80 |
$ 14.57 |
$ 30,310 |
Top paying industries for Food Preparation Workers:
Geographic profile for Food Preparation Workers:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Food Preparation Workers are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Food Preparation Workers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Food Preparation Workers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
90,230 |
5.49 |
0.96 |
$ 15.23 |
$ 31,680 |
| Florida |
61,930 |
7.34 |
1.29 |
$ 12.73 |
$ 26,470 |
| Texas |
61,340 |
5.07 |
0.89 |
$ 11.89 |
$ 24,740 |
| New York |
46,530 |
5.35 |
0.94 |
$ 15.64 |
$ 32,530 |
| Tennessee |
39,530 |
13.61 |
2.39 |
$ 10.37 |
$ 21,560 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Food Preparation Workers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Louisiana |
31,430 |
17.45 |
3.06 |
$ 9.30 |
$ 19,340 |
| Hawaii |
7,920 |
13.79 |
2.42 |
$ 15.40 |
$ 32,020 |
| Tennessee |
39,530 |
13.61 |
2.39 |
$ 10.37 |
$ 21,560 |
| Alaska |
3,600 |
12.15 |
2.13 |
$ 15.38 |
$ 31,980 |
| Maine |
6,540 |
11.37 |
1.99 |
$ 14.14 |
$ 29,410 |
Top paying states for Food Preparation Workers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| District of Columbia |
2,800 |
4.07 |
0.71 |
$ 17.29 |
$ 35,950 |
| Washington |
13,970 |
4.37 |
0.77 |
$ 16.48 |
$ 34,280 |
| Massachusetts |
15,040 |
4.49 |
0.79 |
$ 15.83 |
$ 32,930 |
| New York |
46,530 |
5.35 |
0.94 |
$ 15.64 |
$ 32,530 |
| Hawaii |
7,920 |
13.79 |
2.42 |
$ 15.40 |
$ 32,020 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Food Preparation Workers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
61,770 |
6.99 |
1.23 |
$ 14.99 |
$ 31,180 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
34,580 |
5.94 |
1.04 |
$ 14.53 |
$ 30,210 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
22,860 |
5.24 |
0.92 |
$ 13.63 |
$ 28,360 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
19,730 |
7.49 |
1.31 |
$ 11.67 |
$ 24,270 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
19,350 |
7.71 |
1.35 |
$ 13.13 |
$ 27,300 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
18,750 |
6.32 |
1.11 |
$ 11.51 |
$ 23,950 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
13,140 |
4.35 |
0.76 |
$ 13.99 |
$ 29,100 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN |
12,710 |
13.16 |
2.31 |
$ 11.12 |
$ 23,120 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
12,010 |
5.15 |
0.90 |
$ 16.74 |
$ 34,820 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
11,480 |
4.26 |
0.75 |
$ 12.49 |
$ 25,980 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Food Preparation Workers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Lafayette, LA |
4,540 |
24.02 |
4.21 |
$ 9.15 |
$ 19,030 |
| Lake Charles, LA |
2,170 |
21.30 |
3.73 |
$ 9.65 |
$ 20,080 |
| Monroe, LA |
1,540 |
21.27 |
3.73 |
$ 9.14 |
$ 19,010 |
| Hammond, LA |
870 |
20.74 |
3.63 |
$ 8.79 |
$ 18,290 |
| Morristown, TN |
840 |
19.30 |
3.38 |
$ 8.92 |
$ 18,550 |
| Flagstaff, AZ |
1,060 |
18.67 |
3.27 |
$ 13.98 |
$ 29,090 |
| Alexandria, LA |
1,050 |
18.41 |
3.23 |
$ 9.19 |
$ 19,120 |
| Enid, OK |
400 |
17.57 |
3.08 |
$ 9.94 |
$ 20,670 |
| Shreveport-Bossier City, LA |
2,860 |
17.43 |
3.05 |
$ 9.40 |
$ 19,550 |
| Houma-Thibodaux, LA |
1,390 |
17.07 |
2.99 |
$ 9.30 |
$ 19,340 |
United States Department of Labor
