Annual Salary, Salary Range, and Highest Paying States and Industries
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Food Preparation Workers
Food Preparation Workers perform a variety of food preparation duties other than cooking, such as preparing cold foods and shellfish, slicing meat, and brewing coffee or tea.
Table of contents
- Average salary
- Starting salary
- Salary rank
- Salary range
- Highest paying states
- Highest paying industries
Average salary
Starting salary
Entry-level Food Preparation Workers with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $18,460 to $21,400 per year or $9 to $10 per hour. Similar to any other job, their salary will increase as they gain experience.
Salary rank
We wanted to make it easy for our readers to compare the salary of Food Preparation Workers to all the other careers out there. So we created Salary Rank. We compared the salary of all careers then we gave them a rank of A, B, C, or D depending on where their average salary sit in comparison to other careers.
Salary range
| Level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Highest (Top 10%) | $18 | $37,000 |
| Senior (Top 25%) | $15 | $30,850 |
| Middle (Mid 50%) | $13 | $26,070 |
| Junior (Bottom 25%) | $10 | $21,400 |
| No experience (Bottom 10%) | $9 | $18,460 |
Highest paying states
| State | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| DC | $17 | $35,950 |
| WA | $16 | $34,280 |
| MA | $16 | $32,930 |
| NY | $16 | $32,530 |
| HI | $15 | $32,020 |
| AK | $15 | $31,980 |
| RI | $15 | $31,820 |
| CT | $15 | $31,790 |
| CA | $15 | $31,680 |
| CO | $15 | $31,520 |
Another simple way to increase your salary as a Food Preparation Worker is to move to a higher paying state. However moving to a higher paying state like DC doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the expenses at DC might be much higher than where you are currently living at right now.
According to BLS, the highest paid Food Preparation Workers are in the states of DC, WA, MA, NY and HI.
Highest paying industries
| Salary by industry | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services | $37990 | $18.26 |
| Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land | $36460 | $17.53 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | $34600 | $16.64 |
| Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services | $34520 | $16.59 |
| Spectator Sports | $32670 | $15.71 |
| General Merchandise Stores | $32430 | $15.59 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | $32370 | $15.56 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | $32310 | $15.53 |
| Animal Slaughtering and Processing | $32110 | $15.44 |
| Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations | $32040 | $15.40 |
| Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events | $31430 | $15.11 |
| Rail Transportation | $31410 | $15.10 |
| Warehousing and Storage | $31270 | $15.03 |
| Technical and Trade Schools | $31190 | $15.00 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | $31070 | $14.94 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services | $30910 | $14.86 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores | $30750 | $14.78 |
| Other Personal Services | $30740 | $14.78 |
| Dairy Product Manufacturing | $30620 | $14.72 |
| Other Schools and Instruction | $30600 | $14.71 |
| Clothing Stores | $30390 | $14.61 |
| Other Food Manufacturing | $30310 | $14.57 |
| Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses | $30140 | $14.49 |
| Traveler Accommodation | $30130 | $14.49 |
| Rooming and Boarding Houses | $30070 | $14.46 |
| Specialty Hospitals | $29980 | $14.42 |
| Outpatient Care Centers | $29830 | $14.34 |
| Local Government | $29650 | $14.25 |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods | $29620 | $14.24 |
| Rental and Leasing Services | $29490 | $14.18 |
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