Food Preparation Workers in California

Considering a career as a Food Preparation Worker in California?

You’re in luck! Jobs for Food Preparation Workers in California are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

• Projected employment for Food Preparation Workers in California is growing faster than average.

• Food Preparation Workers in California earn lower salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

How Many Food Preparation Workers Work in California?

In California, there were 102,680 people working as Food Preparation Workers in the year 2018.

There were 108,890 Food Preparation Workers employed in this state in 2017.

That’s a decline of 6,210 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

The typical state has 8,670 Food Preparation Workers working in it, which means California has more Food Preparation Workers than average.

Job Projections for California

Jobs for Food Preparation Workers in this state are growing at a rate of 12.2% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 7.9%.

California Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates 21,100 annual job openings, and a total of 125,300 jobs for California Food Preparation Workers in 2026.

Nationwide, the prediction is 157,700 annual jobs and 939,700 total jobs in 2026.

What do Food Preparation Workers Make in California?

In 2018 wages for Food Preparation Workers ranged from $22,460 to $36,460 with $26,040 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $10.8 to $17.53. The median hourly rate was $12.52.

Workers in this field were paid a median of $11.93 an hour in 2017.

The hourly rate grew by $0.59.

The median salary in California is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top California Metros for Food Preparation Workers

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Food Preparation Workers.

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	36,330	$24,980
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	16,410	$29,980
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA	10,810	$25,770
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	8,730	$25,380
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	6,650	$28,140
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA	5,550	$24,650
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	1,880	$24,690
Fresno, CA	1,840	$25,360
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	1,650	$25,030
Bakersfield, CA	1,380	$26,730
Santa Rosa, CA	1,310	$28,920
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	1,240	$24,360
Stockton-Lodi, CA	1,010	$28,160
Salinas, CA	900	$28,020
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA	800	$24,720
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA	690	$27,720
Visalia-Porterville, CA	660	$26,160
Modesto, CA	630	$24,310
Napa, CA	510	$27,440
Chico, CA	490	$24,010
Redding, CA	420	$27,800
El Centro, CA	290	$27,950
Merced, CA	250	$25,140
Yuba City, CA	130	$24,540
Hanford-Corcoran, CA	110	$27,340
Madera, CA	80	$25,210

Top States for Food Preparation Workers Employment

View the list below to see where most Food Preparation Workers work.

State	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
California	102,680	$26,040
Florida	62,010	$23,020
New York	61,600	$26,680
Texas	55,060	$22,730
Louisiana	35,890	$18,350
Georgia	35,360	$20,350
New Jersey	32,960	$22,520
Illinois	32,430	$24,220
Ohio	26,740	$21,040
North Carolina	19,820	$21,660
Virginia	19,640	$20,640
Pennsylvania	19,310	$22,060
Tennessee	18,060	$20,550
Washington	17,380	$28,210
Indiana	16,220	$20,930
Maryland	15,620	$24,220
Massachusetts	15,080	$27,420
Michigan	14,630	$22,530
Arizona	14,220	$24,070
Oregon	14,110	$25,730

Below are the states where Food Preparation Workers get paid the most:

State	Annual Median Salary
District of Columbia	$29,100
Washington	$28,210
Nevada	$28,130
Rhode Island	$27,910
Massachusetts	$27,420
New York	$26,680
Alaska	$26,540
Connecticut	$26,430
Minnesota	$26,180
California	$26,040

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online

More about our data sources and methodologies.