Last updated: 2025 BLS data · Page refreshed:
Louisiana employs 182,800 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 Louisiana, based on median salary data.
Complete breakdown of all occupations in the Food Preparation & Serving industry in Louisiana, 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 | $45,570 | $52,820 | 1,990 | $21/hr |
| 2 | First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $35,800 | $39,360 | 16,680 | $17/hr |
| 3 | Cooks, Restaurant | $29,050 | $30,630 | 14,910 | $13/hr |
| 4 | Food Servers, Nonrestaurant | $27,200 | $26,000 | 2,380 | $13/hr |
| 5 | Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | $26,780 | $27,250 | 4,810 | $12/hr |
| 6 | Dishwashers | $26,440 | $25,960 | 4,210 | $12/hr |
| 7 | Cooks, Short Order | $26,260 | $29,110 | 1,990 | $12/hr |
| 8 | Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | $25,490 | $27,300 | 5,740 | $12/hr |
| 9 | Cooks, Fast Food | $24,960 | $25,130 | 3,000 | $12/hr |
| 10 | Food Preparation Workers | $23,620 | $25,580 | 30,920 | $11/hr |
| 11 | Fast Food and Counter Workers | $22,800 | $24,580 | 45,720 | $10/hr |
| 12 | Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | $22,060 | $23,320 | 6,440 | $10/hr |
| 13 | Bartenders | $20,850 | $25,250 | 10,140 | $10/hr |
| 14 | Waiters and Waitresses | $15,080 | $22,350 | 33,870 | $7/hr |
Explore salary data and job opportunities in other industries across Louisiana:
Louisiana has 14 Food Preparation & Serving occupations with 182,800 total employed workers (2025 BLS data).
The highest-paying Food Preparation & Serving occupation in Louisiana is Chefs and Head Cooks with a median salary of $45,570/year.
The average median salary across 14 Food Preparation & Serving occupations in Louisiana is $26,569/year.
Salaries in Food Preparation & Serving in Louisiana range from $15,080 (entry-level) to $86,750 (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 Louisiana. Percentile ranges (P10–P90) reflect the lowest and highest earning 10% of workers. Our Methodology · Data Sources