10.3% higher than the US national median ($35,318)
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Is this a competitive Food Preparation Workers salary in Colorado in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS September 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q3 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$31K
P25$35K
P50$39K
P75$45K
P90$49K
Drag the dot or type an amount above.
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Demand: ACTIVE. Demand is active -- retail openings are at 4.3% (JOLTS, September 2026). A balanced market where the median is a solid, competitive anchor.
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Merit budget: Wages in retail trade are rising about 3.4% a year (BLS ECI, Q3 2026). Budget a 3.0-3.5% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $38,958 to $44,741 (market median to the 75th percentile). The median-to-P75 range keeps offers competitive.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Food Preparation Workers pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role rose 3.2% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, roughly in line with the 3.4% wage growth of Retail Trade (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · MODERATE
Retail Trade is running a 4.3% job-openings rate with quits at 3.1% (BLS JOLTS). The openings rate has drifted down from 4.5% to 4.3% over the past quarter.
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 1.8 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is narrower than typical, so pay is fairly standardized; small differences move a candidate across the market.
What changed recently
Nov 3, 2026JOLTS September 2026: sector openings held at 4.3% (August revised down from 4.7%). Quits rose to 3.1% and hires to a 4.5% rate. Hourly churn pressure persists.
Oct 30, 2026ECI Q3 2026: retail trade wages rose 3.4% over the year, unchanged from Q2 and above the 3.1% private-industry average.
Sep 29, 2026JOLTS August 2026: sector openings rose to 4.7% (up 54K), the highest this year. Quits held at 3.0% (July revised from 3.1%). Hourly churn pressure persists.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS September 2026, ECI Q3 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The median salary for Food Preparation Workers in Colorado is $38,958 per year ($18.73/hr). This is 10.3% higher than the national median of $35,318.
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.
Wage Percentiles: Colorado
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours) · National adjusted
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
vs National
P10Entry level
$14.81
$30,805
+19.3%
P25
$16.68
$34,694
+15.8%
P50MEDIAN
$18.73
$38,958
+10.3%
P75
$21.51
$44,741
+16.1%
P90Top earners
$23.56
$49,005
+8.1%
How Colorado compares for Food Preparation Workers
Computed from this state's own BLS distribution against national
Pay for Food Preparation Workers in Colorado sits above the national range at every level: +19.3% at entry, +10.3% at the median and +8.1% at the top. The gap is larger at entry than at the top.
An offer at the national median of $35,318 would sit at about the 28th percentile in Colorado.
The top of the range earns 1.59 times the bottom here against 1.76 times nationally, so pay for this role is more compressed between entry and senior levels in Colorado.
Colorado employs 12,080 people in this role, 1.4% of the national total.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median food preparation workers salary in Colorado?
The median (P50) annual salary for Food Preparation Workers in Colorado is approximately $38,958, based on BLS OEWS May 2025 data. This is 10.3% higher than the national median of $35,318. For the full P10–P90 breakdown and market context, open CompSignal.
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.
