The highest-paying states for food preparation workers (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of food preparation workers in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $37,300, Washington is the highest paying state for food preparation workers. It is followed by District of Columbia (average annual salary $36,560). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of food preparation workers in a specific state, use the links in the table.
| Rank | State | Average Salary i | Entry Level Salary i |
# of Empl. i |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $37,300 |
$31,280 | 17,030 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $36,560 |
$33,900 | 4,240 |
| 3 | Colorado | $35,870 |
$28,820 | 12,940 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $35,150 |
$30,950 | 19,690 |
| 5 | New York | $34,900 |
$28,960 | 50,380 |
| 6 | Hawaii | $34,710 |
$27,440 | 4,120 |
| 7 | California | $34,620 |
$30,110 | 112,720 |
| 8 | Oregon | $33,600 |
$28,870 | 7,540 |
| 9 | Alaska | $33,300 |
$22,930 | 3,480 |
| 10 | Arizona | $31,790 |
$28,730 | 12,500 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $31,660 |
$28,530 | 10,760 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $31,660 |
$24,530 | 2,640 |
| 13 | Maine | $31,560 |
$29,000 | 5,820 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $31,200 |
$27,720 | 20,500 |
| 15 | Minnesota | $31,180 |
$26,520 | 17,050 |
| 16 | Maryland | $30,580 |
$26,210 | 13,170 |
| 17 | North Dakota | $30,370 |
$24,200 | 650 |
| 18 | Florida | $29,990 |
$23,260 | 72,080 |
| 19 | Vermont | $29,990 |
$28,300 | 1,460 |
| 20 | Nevada | $29,780 |
$23,430 | 9,750 |
| 21 | Michigan | $29,740 |
$22,870 | 12,490 |
| 22 | Utah | $29,490 |
$21,800 | 5,700 |
| 23 | Montana | $29,030 |
$21,880 | 1,970 |
| 24 | Illinois | $28,860 |
$25,750 | 35,230 |
| 25 | Delaware | $28,800 |
$23,040 | 2,210 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $28,620 |
$21,580 | 20,360 |
| 27 | Indiana | $28,570 |
$20,950 | 14,420 |
| 28 | Wyoming | $28,500 |
$22,240 | 1,570 |
| 29 | Georgia | $28,420 |
$20,260 | 29,030 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $28,340 |
$20,870 | 23,590 |
| 31 | Virgin Islands | $28,190 |
$25,090 | 360 |
| 32 | Idaho | $28,020 |
$18,250 | 5,690 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $27,920 |
$22,380 | 6,470 |
| 34 | Rhode Island | $27,850 |
$25,480 | 4,160 |
| 35 | Pennsylvania | $27,750 |
$21,010 | 21,460 |
| 36 | Missouri | $27,460 |
$23,500 | 15,740 |
| 37 | Texas | $27,330 |
$21,340 | 130,320 |
| 38 | Virginia | $27,200 |
$22,880 | 18,060 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $27,180 |
$19,250 | 13,450 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $27,140 |
$23,280 | 5,520 |
| 41 | South Dakota | $27,100 |
$23,400 | 2,560 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $26,910 |
$19,830 | 7,640 |
| 43 | Kansas | $26,740 |
$21,110 | 7,260 |
| 44 | Ohio | $26,320 |
$21,110 | 21,830 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $25,810 |
$21,530 | 2,670 |
| 46 | New Mexico | $25,220 |
$23,920 | 6,800 |
| 47 | Iowa | $24,460 |
$18,920 | 5,730 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $24,220 |
$20,240 | 20,410 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $23,690 |
$18,260 | 11,110 |
| 50 | Alabama | $22,500 |
$18,310 | 16,390 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $21,980 |
$18,480 | 6,360 |
| 52 | Louisiana | $21,240 |
$17,420 | 29,620 |
| 53 | Guam | $21,020 |
$19,520 | 260 |
| 54 | Puerto Rico | $19,020 |
$17,680 | 6,160 |