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Occupational Employment Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018

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)
814,600 1.2 % $11.94 $24,830 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.68 $9.69 $11.41 $13.59 $16.19
Annual Wage (2) $18,040 $20,160 $23,730 $28,270 $33,670

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 406,350 3.80 $11.47 $23,860
Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) 183,410 6.27 $12.11 $25,200
Special Food Services 47,350 6.60 $12.57 $26,150
Elementary and Secondary Schools 23,600 0.28 $14.38 $29,910
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 17,240 1.07 $11.47 $23,850

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 47,350 6.60 $12.57 $26,150
Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) 183,410 6.27 $12.11 $25,200
Restaurants and Other Eating Places 406,350 3.80 $11.47 $23,860
Other Food Manufacturing 6,660 2.97 $12.06 $25,070
Vending Machine Operators 1,030 2.67 $11.42 $23,750

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rental and Leasing Services (5322, 5323, and 5324 only) 50 0.01 $15.21 $31,640
Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services 70 0.03 $15.19 $31,590
Elementary and Secondary Schools 23,600 0.28 $14.38 $29,910
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 14,050 0.25 $14.33 $29,810
Scientific Research and Development Services 50 0.01 $14.17 $29,470

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 102,680 6.04 1.07 $13.42 $27,910
Florida 62,010 7.20 1.28 $11.63 $24,190
New York 61,600 6.56 1.17 $13.71 $28,520
Texas 55,060 4.55 0.81 $11.32 $23,540
Louisiana 35,890 18.75 3.33 $9.05 $18,820




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 35,890 18.75 3.33 $9.05 $18,820
Alaska 4,640 14.73 2.62 $14.21 $29,550
Maine 7,890 13.03 2.32 $12.35 $25,690
Hawaii 7,700 11.99 2.13 $13.78 $28,660
New Jersey 32,960 8.14 1.45 $11.75 $24,450




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 4,330 6.08 1.08 $15.15 $31,510
Washington 17,380 5.33 0.95 $14.59 $30,340
Massachusetts 15,080 4.22 0.75 $14.41 $29,980
Rhode Island 2,800 5.81 1.03 $14.30 $29,730
Alaska 4,640 14.73 2.62 $14.21 $29,550





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-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 69,480 7.32 1.30 $13.35 $27,770
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 36,330 5.94 1.05 $12.78 $26,590
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 26,010 5.60 1.00 $12.31 $25,600
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 21,140 7.88 1.40 $10.58 $22,000
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 19,130 7.39 1.31 $11.89 $24,740
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 17,930 5.72 1.02 $12.38 $25,750
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 16,410 6.78 1.21 $15.20 $31,610
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 14,130 4.74 0.84 $11.54 $24,010
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 13,080 4.59 0.82 $11.56 $24,050
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 12,910 3.62 0.64 $11.10 $23,090