Food Preparation
Food Preparation Workers
SOC 35-2021
Do the chopping, mixing, and prep that keeps a kitchen stocked.
The job
Median pay
$35k
$30k to $39k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Declining
-3.0% projected
Openings a year
136k
BLS projection
Typical education
No formal credential
Our model
AI displacement risk
Moderate
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
10/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
21st pct
More exposed than 21% of occupations · modeled estimate · 47th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
38/100
Key skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Monitoring
- Mathematics
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 112,750 | 6.2 | 1.1× | $39k |
| Texas | 81,280 | 5.8 | 1.0× | $31k |
| Florida | 73,100 | 7.4 | 1.3× | $36k |
| New York | 62,380 | 6.4 | 1.1× | $36k |
| Illinois | 34,820 | 5.7 | 1.0× | $35k |
| Louisiana | 30,920 | 16.0 | 2.8× | $24k |
| Georgia | 26,450 | 5.4 | 0.9× | $35k |
| North Carolina | 24,960 | 5.1 | 0.9× | $30k |
| New Jersey | 24,730 | 5.8 | 1.0× | $36k |
| Minnesota | 24,620 | 8.3 | 1.4× | $35k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 19,780 | 6.0 | 1.1× | $29k |
| Washington | 19,510 | 5.5 | 1.0× | $41k |
| Ohio | 19,480 | 3.5 | 0.6× | $35k |
| Wisconsin | 17,990 | 6.1 | 1.1× | $34k |
| Pennsylvania | 17,940 | 3.0 | 0.5× | $31k |
| Alabama | 17,680 | 8.4 | 1.5× | $28k |
| Michigan | 17,380 | 3.9 | 0.7× | $31k |
| Arizona | 16,590 | 5.1 | 0.9× | $37k |
| Virginia | 16,340 | 4.0 | 0.7× | $35k |
| Indiana | 16,200 | 5.1 | 0.9× | $30k |
| Kentucky | 15,390 | 7.7 | 1.3× | $27k |
| South Carolina | 14,460 | 6.3 | 1.1× | $32k |
| Missouri | 13,650 | 4.6 | 0.8× | $32k |
| Massachusetts | 13,620 | 3.7 | 0.7× | $39k |
| Maryland | 13,280 | 4.8 | 0.8× | $36k |
| Connecticut | 12,250 | 7.2 | 1.3× | $37k |
| Colorado | 12,080 | 4.2 | 0.7× | $39k |
| Oregon | 11,860 | 6.0 | 1.1× | $37k |
| Nevada | 11,420 | 7.4 | 1.3× | $33k |
| Utah | 10,530 | 6.1 | 1.1× | $34k |
| Mississippi | 7,870 | 6.8 | 1.2× | $26k |
| Kansas | 7,680 | 5.3 | 0.9× | $30k |
| Oklahoma | 7,430 | 4.4 | 0.8× | $29k |
| Nebraska | 6,890 | 6.7 | 1.2× | $35k |
| New Mexico | 6,850 | 7.9 | 1.4× | $33k |
| Hawaii | 5,950 | 9.5 | 1.6× | $38k |
| Arkansas | 5,500 | 4.2 | 0.7× | $28k |
| Idaho | 4,670 | 5.4 | 0.9× | $32k |
| Maine | 4,560 | 7.1 | 1.2× | $36k |
| Iowa | 4,170 | 2.7 | 0.5× | $30k |
| Washington DC | 3,970 | 5.7 | 1.0× | $40k |
| New Hampshire | 3,420 | 5.0 | 0.9× | $37k |
| South Dakota | 3,270 | 7.1 | 1.2× | $30k |
| Montana | 2,990 | 5.8 | 1.0× | $34k |
| West Virginia | 2,960 | 4.2 | 0.7× | $28k |
| Rhode Island | 2,830 | 5.6 | 1.0× | $35k |
| Alaska | 2,800 | 8.6 | 1.5× | $36k |
| Delaware | 2,400 | 5.0 | 0.9× | $36k |
| Wyoming | 1,620 | 5.8 | 1.0× | $36k |
| Vermont | 1,350 | 4.4 | 0.8× | $37k |
| North Dakota | 980 | 2.3 | 0.4× | $37k |
Top metro areas
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ63,530 jobs · $36k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA44,930 jobs · $40k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN27,100 jobs · $35k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX21,700 jobs · $31k median
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL19,630 jobs · $36k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA17,060 jobs · $36k median
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI16,810 jobs · $35k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX16,240 jobs · $35k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Food Preparation Workers interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.