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Food Preparation Workers Salary by State (2025)

Last updated: 2025 BLS data · Page refreshed:

Compare Food Preparation Workers salaries across 51 states

$33,595
National Average (Median)
$40,910
Highest: Washington
$23,620
Lowest: Louisiana

Food Preparation Workers Salary by State

Compare Food Preparation Workers salaries across all 50 states. Click any state for the full breakdown.

Click for full breakdown →
AK AL AR AZ CA CO FL GA HI IA ID IL IN KS KY LA ME MI MN MO MS MT NC ND NE NM NV NY OH OK OR PA SC SD TN TX UT VA WA WI WV WY VT NH MA RI CT NJ DE MD DC
$23,620
$40,910

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS 2025 Annual

AL $27,930 AK $35,720 AZ $36,750 AR $27,660 CA $39,350 CO $38,960 CT $36,650 DE $35,930 DC $39,600 FL $35,920 GA $35,250 HI $38,160 ID $31,510 IL $34,850 IN $29,700 IA $30,360 KS $30,280 KY $26,850 LA $23,620 ME $36,030 MD $35,500 MA $38,900 MI $31,180 MN $34,850 MS $26,240 MO $31,510 MT $33,860 NE $35,210 NV $33,460 NH $36,780 NJ $35,540 NM $33,370 NY $35,610 NC $30,260 ND $36,800 OH $34,530 OK $28,540 OR $37,450 PA $30,840 RI $35,470 SC $32,180 SD $30,430 TN $28,700 TX $30,650 UT $33,540 VT $36,550 VA $34,900 WA $40,910 WV $28,360 WI $34,070 WY $36,110

Top 5 Highest-Paying States

#1
Washington
$40,910
#2
District of Columbia
$39,600
#3
California
$39,350
#4
Colorado
$38,960
#5
Massachusetts
$38,900

Food Preparation Workers Salary in All 51 States

# State Median Salary Mean Salary Employment
1 Washington $40,910 $42,660 19,510
2 District of Columbia $39,600 $41,350 3,970
3 California $39,350 $41,480 112,750
4 Colorado $38,960 $40,210 12,080
5 Massachusetts $38,900 $41,030 13,620
6 Hawaii $38,160 $41,670 5,950
7 Oregon $37,450 $39,510 11,860
8 North Dakota $36,800 $36,210 980
9 New Hampshire $36,780 $36,440 3,420
10 Arizona $36,750 $37,810 16,590
11 Connecticut $36,650 $39,290 12,250
12 Vermont $36,550 $38,850 1,350
13 Wyoming $36,110 $35,210 1,620
14 Maine $36,030 $37,470 4,560
15 Delaware $35,930 $36,360 2,400
16 Florida $35,920 $35,210 73,100
17 Alaska $35,720 $37,230 2,800
18 New York $35,610 $38,310 62,380
19 New Jersey $35,540 $37,680 24,730
20 Maryland $35,500 $37,090 13,280
21 Rhode Island $35,470 $37,910 2,830
22 Georgia $35,250 $33,970 26,450
23 Nebraska $35,210 $34,880 6,890
24 Virginia $34,900 $34,930 16,340
25 Illinois $34,850 $36,260 34,820
26 Minnesota $34,850 $35,610 24,620
27 Ohio $34,530 $34,560 19,480
28 Wisconsin $34,070 $34,000 17,990
29 Montana $33,860 $33,700 2,990
30 Utah $33,540 $34,580 10,530
31 Nevada $33,460 $36,290 11,420
32 New Mexico $33,370 $32,880 6,850
33 South Carolina $32,180 $32,300 14,460
34 Idaho $31,510 $32,380 4,670
35 Missouri $31,510 $34,040 13,650
36 Michigan $31,180 $32,720 17,380
37 Pennsylvania $30,840 $31,880 17,940
38 Texas $30,650 $32,120 81,280
39 South Dakota $30,430 $31,630 3,270
40 Iowa $30,360 $32,080 4,170
41 Kansas $30,280 $31,460 7,680
42 North Carolina $30,260 $31,270 24,960
43 Indiana $29,700 $31,560 16,200
44 Tennessee $28,700 $30,860 19,780
45 Oklahoma $28,540 $28,710 7,430
46 West Virginia $28,360 $28,450 2,960
47 Alabama $27,930 $28,460 17,680
48 Arkansas $27,660 $29,460 5,500
49 Kentucky $26,850 $28,760 15,390
50 Mississippi $26,240 $26,750 7,870
51 Louisiana $23,620 $25,580 30,920

Food Preparation Workers Take-Home Pay After Taxes

Gross salary only tells half the story. State income taxes vary from 0% to 13.3%, dramatically affecting your take-home pay. See exactly what a Food Preparation Workers keeps after federal, state, and FICA taxes.

Take-Home in Washington → Take-Home in District of Columbia → Take-Home in California →

Data Source & Methodology

Salary data is sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, 2025 estimates. After-tax figures use IRS federal brackets and state income tax rates for all 50 states.

Our Methodology · Data Sources · Source: BLS OEWS

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