Pay by state · 54 areas
Food Preparation Worker Salary by State (2026)
Food Preparation Workers earn the most in Washington at $40,910 a year and the least in Louisiana at $23,620 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $35,320. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Guam, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $40,910Washington
- National median
- $35,320BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $23,620Louisiana
- Areas reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for food preparation workers
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, North Dakota comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1Washington$40,910
- 2District of Columbia$39,600
- 3California$39,350
- 4Colorado$38,960
- 5Massachusetts$38,900
Lowest median pay
- 1Louisiana$23,620
- 2Mississippi$26,240
- 3Kentucky$26,850
- 4Arkansas$27,660
- 5Alabama$27,930
All states
Food Preparation Worker salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of food preparation workers OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WAWashington | $40,910 | $35,880 | $47,390 | 19,510 | $38,229 |
| 2 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $39,600 | $38,070 | $44,040 | 3,970 | $36,032 |
| 3 | CACalifornia | $39,350 | $37,010 | $44,540 | 112,750 | $35,540 |
| 4 | COColorado | $38,960 | $34,690 | $44,740 | 12,080 | $37,806 |
| 5 | MAMassachusetts | $38,900 | $36,060 | $44,580 | 13,620 | $36,782 |
| 6 | HIHawaii | $38,160 | $33,310 | $46,920 | 5,950 | $34,706 |
| 7 | OROregon | $37,450 | $35,100 | $42,860 | 11,860 | $36,232 |
| 8 | NDNorth Dakota | $36,800 | $31,510 | $38,430 | 980 | $41,367 |
| 9 | NHNew Hampshire | $36,780 | $31,000 | $39,330 | 3,420 | $35,309 |
| 10 | AZArizona | $36,750 | $34,220 | $39,160 | 16,590 | $36,503 |
| 11 | CTConnecticut | $36,650 | $35,340 | $40,210 | 12,250 | $35,373 |
| 12 | VTVermont | $36,550 | $35,220 | $42,920 | 1,350 | $37,312 |
| 13 | WYWyoming | $36,110 | $30,920 | $39,610 | 1,620 | $38,957 |
| 14 | MEMaine | $36,030 | $33,760 | $39,060 | 4,560 | $37,125 |
| 15 | DEDelaware | $35,930 | $31,860 | $38,140 | 2,400 | $35,999 |
| 16 | FLFlorida | $35,920 | $30,420 | $37,440 | 73,100 | $34,734 |
| 17 | AKAlaska | $35,720 | $34,000 | $38,610 | 2,800 | $34,897 |
| 18 | NYNew York | $35,610 | $34,320 | $40,250 | 62,380 | $32,996 |
| 19 | NJNew Jersey | $35,540 | $33,530 | $38,470 | 24,730 | $32,664 |
| 20 | MDMaryland | $35,500 | $33,020 | $38,470 | 13,280 | $33,823 |
| 21 | RIRhode Island | $35,470 | $32,200 | $42,030 | 2,830 | $34,679 |
| 22 | GAGeorgia | $35,250 | $29,610 | $37,700 | 26,450 | $36,607 |
| 23 | NENebraska | $35,210 | $29,870 | $37,440 | 6,890 | $39,078 |
| 24 | VAVirginia | $34,900 | $30,940 | $37,310 | 16,340 | $34,519 |
| 25 | ILIllinois | $34,850 | $31,200 | $37,880 | 34,820 | $34,865 |
| 26 | MNMinnesota | $34,850 | $30,550 | $38,240 | 24,620 | $35,337 |
| 27 | OHOhio | $34,530 | $28,930 | $38,070 | 19,480 | $37,219 |
| 28 | WIWisconsin | $34,070 | $28,870 | $37,940 | 17,990 | $36,208 |
| 29 | MTMontana | $33,860 | $28,710 | $37,110 | 2,990 | $35,776 |
| 30 | UTUtah | $33,540 | $29,770 | $38,400 | 10,530 | $33,925 |
| 31 | NVNevada | $33,460 | $28,870 | $40,920 | 11,420 | $33,467 |
| 32 | NMNew Mexico | $33,370 | $28,590 | $35,840 | 6,850 | $36,188 |
| 33 | SCSouth Carolina | $32,180 | $27,860 | $36,970 | 14,460 | $34,326 |
| 34 | IDIdaho | $31,510 | $27,530 | $36,850 | 4,670 | $32,997 |
| 35 | MOMissouri | $31,510 | $29,220 | $37,050 | 13,650 | $34,696 |
| 36 | MIMichigan | $31,180 | $27,690 | $35,910 | 17,380 | $32,406 |
| 37 | PAPennsylvania | $30,840 | $27,830 | $36,080 | 17,940 | $31,607 |
| 38 | TXTexas | $30,650 | $27,110 | $37,050 | 81,280 | $31,579 |
| 39 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $30,460 | $28,540 | $31,220 | 390 | N/A |
| 40 | SDSouth Dakota | $30,430 | $28,170 | $34,140 | 3,270 | $34,351 |
| 41 | IAIowa | $30,360 | $28,260 | $36,200 | 4,170 | $34,594 |
| 42 | KSKansas | $30,280 | $27,700 | $35,290 | 7,680 | $33,619 |
| 43 | NCNorth Carolina | $30,260 | $26,610 | $36,120 | 24,960 | $32,080 |
| 44 | INIndiana | $29,700 | $27,550 | $35,930 | 16,200 | $31,823 |
| 45 | TNTennessee | $28,700 | $24,350 | $35,820 | 19,780 | $31,240 |
| 46 | OKOklahoma | $28,540 | $22,870 | $33,960 | 7,430 | $32,490 |
| 47 | WVWest Virginia | $28,360 | $23,280 | $31,380 | 2,960 | $31,688 |
| 48 | ALAlabama | $27,930 | $22,000 | $34,490 | 17,680 | $31,445 |
| 49 | ARArkansas | $27,660 | $25,900 | $32,390 | 5,500 | $31,816 |
| 50 | KYKentucky | $26,850 | $22,790 | $33,890 | 15,390 | $29,781 |
| 51 | MSMississippi | $26,240 | $21,430 | $30,100 | 7,870 | $30,177 |
| 52 | LALouisiana | $23,620 | $21,480 | $28,670 | 30,920 | $26,778 |
| 53 | PRPuerto Rico | $22,400 | $21,840 | $23,250 | 4,130 | N/A |
| 54 | GUGuam | $21,820 | $21,240 | $22,580 | 530 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For food preparation workers, that changes the ranking: Washington leads on raw pay at $40,910, while North Dakota leads once prices are taken into account at $41,367.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Food Preparation Worker pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays food preparation workers the most?
Washington reports the highest median wage for food preparation workers at $40,910 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by District of Columbia ($39,600) and California ($39,350).
Which state pays food preparation workers the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Louisiana reports the lowest median for food preparation workers at $23,620 a year, $17,290 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $30,460, Puerto Rico reports $22,400 and Guam reports $21,820.
Is the highest-paying state the best for food preparation workers after cost of living?
Not on this data. Washington pays the most on paper ($40,910) but ranks 4th of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($38,229). North Dakota leads after that adjustment at $41,367, from a raw median of $36,800. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.