Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2016

35-2021 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.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
850,670 1.2 % $11.02 $22,920 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.37 $9.12 $10.31 $12.19 $14.93
Annual Wage (2) $17,420 $18,960 $21,440 $25,360 $31,040

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Restaurants and Other Eating Places 424,590 4.13 $10.57 $21,980
Grocery Stores 158,270 5.88 $11.18 $23,260
Special Food Services 51,500 7.52 $11.52 $23,960
Elementary and Secondary Schools 31,600 0.38 $12.85 $26,720
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 25,510 1.55 $10.95 $22,780

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Special Food Services 51,500 7.52 $11.52 $23,960
Grocery Stores 158,270 5.88 $11.18 $23,260
Specialty Food Stores 12,130 5.25 $10.70 $22,260
Restaurants and Other Eating Places 424,590 4.13 $10.57 $21,980
Vending Machine Operators 1,470 3.78 $10.83 $22,540

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Home Health Care Services 360 0.03 $13.91 $28,930
Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services 90 0.04 $13.60 $28,280
Computer Systems Design and Related Services (8) (8) $13.42 $27,920
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 50 0.02 $13.40 $27,880
Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations 170 0.04 $13.30 $27,670

Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 108,830 6.82 1.12 $12.19 $25,350
New York 63,570 6.99 1.15 $11.99 $24,940
Texas 60,140 5.12 0.85 $10.43 $21,700
Florida 58,490 7.11 1.17 $11.03 $22,950
Illinois 36,610 6.20 1.02 $10.91 $22,690




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Louisiana 33,090 17.21 2.84 $8.78 $18,260
Alaska 4,680 14.46 2.39 $13.11 $27,260
Hawaii 7,710 12.20 2.01 $12.30 $25,590
Maine 7,020 11.78 1.94 $11.18 $23,250
Rhode Island 4,620 9.72 1.60 $11.89 $24,720




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Washington 21,680 7.07 1.17 $13.49 $28,050
District of Columbia 3,430 4.88 0.80 $13.45 $27,970
Connecticut 10,090 6.06 1.00 $13.22 $27,510
Alaska 4,680 14.46 2.39 $13.11 $27,260
Massachusetts 17,290 5.00 0.82 $12.70 $26,410





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 51,300 7.79 1.29 $11.88 $24,720
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 29,640 7.02 1.16 $11.84 $24,620
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division 23,870 6.56 1.08 $11.20 $23,290
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 17,180 6.73 1.11 $9.91 $20,610
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 15,770 5.37 0.89 $10.72 $22,300
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 12,680 5.09 0.84 $11.67 $24,280
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 12,400 5.10 0.84 $10.29 $21,410
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 10,550 6.64 1.10 $13.67 $28,440
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 10,450 7.54 1.24 $11.64 $24,210
Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division 10,380 6.64 1.10 $11.97 $24,910