Median pay for food preparation workers in each state, from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). Nationally the median is $35,320 a year across about 908,500 jobs. More about this career.
By state
Listed alphabetically to start; MajorPays does not rank states. Click a column heading to sort; shift-click more headings to sort by several columns as a group.
| State | Median pay | 10th to 90th percentile | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $27,930 | $20,820–$37,580 | 17,680 |
| Alaska | $35,720 | $30,350–$46,440 | 2,800 |
| Arizona | $36,750 | $31,300–$44,640 | 16,590 |
| Arkansas | $27,660 | $24,020–$36,260 | 5,500 |
| California | $39,350 | $35,190–$48,470 | 112,750 |
| Colorado | $38,960 | $30,800–$49,000 | 12,080 |
| Connecticut | $36,650 | $34,010–$47,790 | 12,250 |
| Delaware | $35,930 | $31,200–$43,070 | 2,400 |
| District of Columbia | $39,600 | $37,510–$45,370 | 3,970 |
| Florida | $35,920 | $28,190–$43,300 | 73,100 |
| Georgia | $35,250 | $24,840–$40,390 | 26,450 |
| Hawaii | $38,160 | $29,950–$57,720 | 5,950 |
| Idaho | $31,510 | $22,150–$40,260 | 4,670 |
| Illinois | $34,850 | $31,200–$44,990 | 34,820 |
| Indiana | $29,700 | $23,170–$39,050 | 16,200 |
| Iowa | $30,360 | $23,760–$40,250 | 4,170 |
| Kansas | $30,280 | $22,880–$39,220 | 7,680 |
| Kentucky | $26,850 | $20,900–$37,830 | 15,390 |
| Louisiana | $23,620 | $17,970–$34,190 | 30,920 |
| Maine | $36,030 | $31,150–$46,400 | 4,560 |
| Maryland | $35,500 | $31,290–$45,890 | 13,280 |
| Massachusetts | $38,900 | $34,280–$48,420 | 13,620 |
| Michigan | $31,180 | $26,540–$38,620 | 17,380 |
| Minnesota | $34,850 | $29,150–$45,790 | 24,620 |
| Mississippi | $26,240 | $18,790–$36,100 | 7,870 |
| Missouri | $31,510 | $28,600–$44,440 | 13,650 |
| Montana | $33,860 | $26,000–$43,410 | 2,990 |
| Nebraska | $35,210 | $28,740–$42,560 | 6,890 |
| Nevada | $33,460 | $26,140–$50,600 | 11,420 |
| New Hampshire | $36,780 | $26,830–$45,980 | 3,420 |
| New Jersey | $35,540 | $32,220–$46,070 | 24,730 |
| New Mexico | $33,370 | $27,290–$38,200 | 6,850 |
| New York | $35,610 | $33,280–$46,800 | 62,380 |
| North Carolina | $30,260 | $21,870–$38,760 | 24,960 |
| Ohio | $34,530 | $26,640–$44,500 | 19,480 |
| Oklahoma | $28,540 | $20,800–$35,980 | 7,430 |
| Oregon | $37,450 | $31,560–$48,580 | 11,860 |
| Pennsylvania | $30,840 | $22,360–$39,600 | 17,940 |
| Rhode Island | $35,470 | $31,200–$45,220 | 2,830 |
| South Carolina | $32,180 | $22,990–$40,370 | 14,460 |
| South Dakota | $30,430 | $26,510–$38,580 | 3,270 |
| Tennessee | $28,700 | $22,290–$39,660 | 19,780 |
| Texas | $30,650 | $22,790–$42,450 | 81,280 |
| Utah | $33,540 | $26,740–$45,290 | 10,530 |
| Vermont | $36,550 | $31,840–$49,020 | 1,350 |
| Virginia | $34,900 | $28,460–$42,480 | 16,340 |
| Washington | $40,910 | $34,890–$51,730 | 19,510 |
| West Virginia | $28,360 | $21,570–$35,890 | 2,960 |
| Wisconsin | $34,070 | $26,080–$44,290 | 17,990 |
| Wyoming | $36,110 | $22,880–$46,590 | 1,620 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, state estimates (employees only; self-employed workers are not included); price-level adjustment uses the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (where 100 is the U.S. average; MajorPays' calculation). Wages are for an occupation in a state as a whole and vary widely by employer, experience, industry and place within the state. MajorPays selected and reorganized these figures; neither agency has approved or endorsed this presentation. See Data sources for each dataset's terms.