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Food Preparation Workers

Explore national pay levels, state-by-state opportunities, and metro market strength for this occupation. CareerMatch combines salary and employment data to help users see where a career has the strongest footprint.

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Food Preparation Workers

National Avg Annual Salary

$33,940

National Avg Hourly Wage

$16.32

National Total Employment

888,770

Top Metro Avg Salary

$47,010

Career Snapshot

Use these highlights to quickly understand where this occupation pays best and where it has the broadest employment base.

Highest Paying State

Hawaii leads this occupation with an average annual salary of $41,410.

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Largest State Market

Texas has one of the largest employment markets with 106,040 jobs.

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Highest Paying Metro Area

Kahului-Wailuku, HI shows an average annual salary of $47,010.

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Largest Metro Market

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ has a broad labor footprint with 54,130 jobs.

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National vs Top Market Pay Comparison

Top States by Average Salary

Top Metro Areas by Average Salary

Top Metro Areas by Employment

Top States for Food Preparation Workers

Ranked by average annual salary. Click the state name to open that state’s ranking page.

State State Code Avg Salary Total Jobs View
Hawaii HI $41,410 4,780 Open
Washington WA $41,210 21,090 Open
Massachusetts MA $40,620 14,890 Open
California CA $40,510 98,950 Open
Colorado CO $40,210 11,290 Open
District of Columbia DC $40,120 3,320 Open
Vermont VT $39,220 1,260 Open
New York NY $38,460 51,880 Open
Alaska AK $37,840 2,840 Open
Connecticut CT $37,450 11,450 Open

Top Metro Areas for Food Preparation Workers

Ranked by average annual salary. Click a metro area to open its local ranking page.