Last updated: 2025 BLS data · Page refreshed:
Alabama employs 181,700 Food Preparation & Serving professionals across 14 occupations. Explore salary ranges, top paying jobs, and career opportunities within the Food Preparation & Serving industry.
The best-compensated occupations within Food Preparation & Serving in Alabama, based on median salary data.
Complete breakdown of all occupations in the Food Preparation & Serving industry in Alabama, sorted by median salary (highest to lowest). Click any job title for state-specific salary details.
| # | Job Title | Median Salary | Mean Salary | Employment | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chefs and Head Cooks | $62,400 | $63,720 | 1,000 | $30/hr |
| 2 | First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $37,110 | $40,620 | 19,180 | $17/hr |
| 3 | Cooks, Restaurant | $32,180 | $33,000 | 16,260 | $15/hr |
| 4 | Food Servers, Nonrestaurant | $29,000 | $29,110 | 2,920 | $13/hr |
| 5 | Dishwashers | $28,930 | $28,800 | 3,540 | $13/hr |
| 6 | Bartenders | $27,980 | $32,220 | 6,560 | $13/hr |
| 7 | Food Preparation Workers | $27,930 | $28,460 | 17,680 | $13/hr |
| 8 | Cooks, Fast Food | $27,870 | $27,570 | 26,740 | $13/hr |
| 9 | Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | $27,120 | $27,870 | 8,780 | $13/hr |
| 10 | Waiters and Waitresses | $26,840 | $27,200 | 28,760 | $12/hr |
| 11 | Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | $26,130 | $26,530 | 5,400 | $12/hr |
| 12 | Fast Food and Counter Workers | $23,700 | $25,600 | 41,460 | $11/hr |
| 13 | Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | $22,470 | $24,330 | 3,420 | $10/hr |
| 14 | Cooks, Short Order | $22,330 | $24,860 | N/A | $10/hr |
Explore salary data and job opportunities in other industries across Alabama:
Alabama has 14 Food Preparation & Serving occupations with 181,700 total employed workers (2025 BLS data).
The highest-paying Food Preparation & Serving occupation in Alabama is Chefs and Head Cooks with a median salary of $62,400/year.
The average median salary across 14 Food Preparation & Serving occupations in Alabama is $30,142/year.
Salaries in Food Preparation & Serving in Alabama range from $16,550 (entry-level) to $85,990 (senior) across all occupations.
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes organize jobs into groups. Food Preparation & Serving occupations use SOC prefix 35. Data comes from BLS OEWS.
Data: BLS OEWS 2025. Salary figures represent May 2025 compensation for occupations classified under SOC code 35* in Alabama. Percentile ranges (P10–P90) reflect the lowest and highest earning 10% of workers. Our Methodology · Data Sources