Last updated: 2025 BLS data · Page refreshed:
What does a Food Preparation Workers salary really buy you in Arizona?
Arizona is near the US average cost of livingData: BLS OEWS 2025 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2022 • Updated 2026-05-19
Arizona's Regional Price Parity (RPP) is 99.9, meaning prices are 0.1% lower the national average. A Food Preparation Workers earning $36,750 in Arizona has the equivalent purchasing power of $36,786 in an average-cost US state.
Every dollar goes further in low-cost states. Here is how each salary percentile compares after adjusting for Arizona's cost of living.
| Percentile | Nominal Salary | COL-Adjusted | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (P10) | $31,300 | $31,331 | +$31 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $34,220 | $34,254 | +$34 |
| Median (P50) | $36,750 | $36,786 | +$36 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $39,160 | $39,199 | +$39 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $44,640 | $44,684 | +$44 |
Arizona's cost of living is close to the national average, so $36,750 keeps most of its value at $36,786 in real terms. Location choice here is more about career opportunities than cost arbitrage.
With an RPP of 99.9, Arizona is within a few percent of the national cost-of-living baseline. Salary adjustment for Food Preparation Workers is therefore minor — what you earn is close to what you'd keep in real purchasing power.
After adjusting for Arizona's cost of living, $36,750 nominal nets out to $36,787 in real purchasing power — a small 0.1% gain. The state's cost profile is close enough to average that COL alone shouldn't drive location decisions for this Food Preparation Workers.
Ranked on COL-adjusted median pay for Food Preparation Workers, Arizona places #10 of 51 states — top quartile. Either nominal wages run high, cost of living runs low, or both.
Where does Food Preparation Workers salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Arizona ranks #10 out of 51 states for Food Preparation Workers after cost-of-living adjustment.
How much do you actually take home? See Food Preparation Workers take-home pay in Arizona after taxes →
A Food Preparation Workers in Arizona earns a median salary of $36,750 per year. After adjusting for Arizona's cost of living (RPP=99.9), the real purchasing power is $36,786 — a +0.1% difference.
Arizona's cost of living is 0.1% lower than the national average according to the BEA Regional Price Parities (2022). The RPP index for Arizona is 99.9 (US average = 100).
Regional Price Parities (RPPs) are price indexes published by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) that measure differences in price levels across states. They are expressed as a percentage of the national average (US = 100). Higher RPP means higher cost of living.
The adjusted salary is calculated as: Nominal Salary x (100 / RPP). For a Food Preparation Workers in Arizona: $36,750 x (100 / 99.9) = $36,786. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
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