Average Food Preparation And Serving Related Workers, All Other Salary in the United States
The national median salary for Food Preparation And Serving Related Workers, All Other is $34,830 per year. The middle 50% earn between $29,890 and $38,860, with 89,580 workers employed nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates . Data covers 43 states and 173 metro areas.
Wage range
Pay distribution
Here is how Food Preparation And Serving Related Workers, All Other pay is distributed across workers nationally. The 10th percentile typically reflects entry-level or early-career pay, the median is the midpoint, and the 90th percentile represents the top earners in the field.
- 10th
- $24,040
- 25th
- $29,890
- Median
- $34,830
- 75th
- $38,860
- 90th
- $47,360
All values are percentiles of annual wages.
This is a lower-wage occupation relative to the US labor market. Pay is below the national median for all workers.
The spread between entry-level and top-end pay is typical for US occupations. Experience and specialization matter, but the range is not unusually wide.
BLS projections
Job outlook
BLS projects employment for food preparation and serving related workers, all other from 2024 to 2034. Growth is above the US average of about 4% across all occupations. This is an expanding field.
- Projected growth
- +6.4%
- 5,800 net jobs over the projection period.
- Annual openings
- 14,600
- Includes growth plus replacements for workers who leave. Annual openings are high relative to the workforce size, reflecting meaningful turnover and new-hire volume.
- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
There are no formal educational requirements for entry. Much of the training happens through experience on the job.
Where Food Preparation And Serving Related Workers, All Other earn the most
Location matters a lot. The gap between top-paying and bottom-paying states is large, so where food preparation and serving related workers, all other work can reshape their total compensation. Right now, the top-paying state is Hawaii at $62,110, about 78.3% above the national median. At the metro level, Kahului-Wailuku, HI leads with a median of $58,030.
By state
Top-paying states
By metro
Top-paying metros
| Metro area | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $58,030 | 40 |
| Boulder, CO | $43,040 | 160 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $43,000 | 1,790 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $42,230 | 370 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $39,930 | 260 |
| Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | $39,880 | 520 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | $39,730 | 100 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $38,960 | 3,670 |
Compare two locations side by side
Pick two states or metros to see food preparation and serving related workers, all other pay in each, along with a cost-of-living adjusted view.
Salary trend and related occupations
Between 2019 and 2024, the national median salary for Food Preparation And Serving Related Workers, All Other rose from $24,970 to $34,830, a gain of +39.5% in nominal dollars.
Over the same period, US consumer prices rose by +22.7%. Just to keep pace with inflation, the 2019 median of $24,970 would need to be worth $30,638 in 2024 dollars.
The actual 2024 median of $34,830 is $4,192 above that inflation-adjusted benchmark, a real change of +13.7% in purchasing power.
Real wages have grown strongly, 13.7% above inflation. Workers in this field have meaningfully gained purchasing power.
- Nominal change
- +39.5%
- 2019–2024
- Cumulative inflation
- +22.7%
- US CPI, 2019–2024
- Real change
- +13.7%
- After adjusting for inflation
Annual history
Median salary over time
Food Preparation And Serving Related Workers, All Other median pay by year, going back through the available BLS releases.
- 2019
- $24,970
- 2020
- $27,080
- 2021
- $29,120
- 2022
- $30,840
- 2023
- $33,870
- 2024
- $34,830
Similar jobs
Related occupations
Other occupations in the same field, with median pay for comparison.
- Dishwashers
- $33,670
- Food Servers, Nonrestaurant
- $34,460
- Food Preparation Workers
- $34,220
- Cooks, Short Order
- $35,620
- Waiters And Waitresses
- $33,760
- Bartenders
- $33,530
Common salary questions for Food Preparation And Serving Related Workers, All Other
What does the median salary mean? +
The median is the midpoint of all wages. Half of Food Preparation And Serving Related Workers, All Other workers earn more and half earn less. It is a better measure of typical pay than the average, which can be skewed by very high or very low earners.
Why does pay vary so much by location? +
Local labor markets, cost of living, industry concentration, and employer competition all affect wages. High-cost metros like San Francisco and New York often pay more in nominal terms, though some of that premium is offset by higher living costs.
How current is this salary data? +
This page uses the May 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. BLS publishes OEWS data once per year, typically in the spring for the previous May reference period.
What do the percentile ranges tell me? +
The 10th and 90th percentiles show the full pay band. The 25th to 75th percentile range, the middle 50%, is where most workers fall. A wide spread usually means experience, specialization, or location matter a lot for this occupation.