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The national median salary for Food Preparation Workers is $35,318 per year ($16.98/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $29,952 and $38,542 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $45,344 per year. There are approximately 893,600 food preparation workers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Perform a variety of food preparation duties other than cooking, such as preparing cold foods and shellfish, slicing meat, and brewing coffee or tea.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-3.4%
Slower than average
Annual openings
148K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
903K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
No formal educational credential
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Restaurants and Other Eating Places
NAICS 722500
432K
$34,330
Food and Beverage Retailers (4451 and 4452 only)
NAICS 4450A1
187K
$35,900
Special Food Services
NAICS 722300
66K
$36,670
Elementary and Secondary Schools
NAICS 611100
28K
$36,880
General Merchandise Retailers
NAICS 455000
28K
$38,810
Wage range across top 5 industries: $34,330 to $38,810 (13% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$12.41
$25,813
P25
$14.40
$29,952
P50MEDIAN
$16.98
$35,318
P75
$18.53
$38,542
P90
$21.80
$45,344
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · retail sector
Active
Openings Rate
4.6%
Quits Rate
3.1%
Retail openings rose to 737K (+52K) in March, rate up to 4.6%. Hires increased to 684K (+73K). Frontline turnover persists with quit rate at 3.1%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average food preparation workers salary?
The national median salary for Food Preparation Workers is $35,318 per year ($16.98/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $29,952 and $38,542 annually.
How much do top-earning food preparation workers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Food Preparation Workers is $45,344 per year ($21.80/hr). The 75th percentile is $38,542 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for food preparation workers?
Entry-level Food Preparation Workers (10th percentile) earn approximately $25,813 per year ($12.41/hr). The 25th percentile is $29,952 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.