Food Preparation Workers in North Carolina

Want to work in North Carolina as a Food Preparation Worker? Read this first!

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

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

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

How Many Food Preparation Workers Work in North Carolina?

There were approximately 19,820 workers employed as Food Preparation Workers in this state in 2018.

There were 19,640 Food Preparation Workers employed in this state in 2017.

That’s growth of 180 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

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

Job Projections for North Carolina

Jobs for Food Preparation Workers in this state are growing at a rate of 11.7% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 7.9%.

North Carolina Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates there will be 3,590 annual job openings, and 21,330 total jobs in 2026 for Food Preparation Workers in this state.

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

What do Food Preparation Workers Make in North Carolina?

In 2018 wages for Food Preparation Workers ranged from $16,910 to $29,950 with $21,660 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $8.13 to $14.4. The median hourly rate was $10.41.

Workers in this field were paid a median of $9.97 an hour in 2017.

The hourly rate grew by $0.44.

The median salary in North Carolina is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top North Carolina 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
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	5,070	$22,950
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC	4,220	$20,210
Raleigh, NC	2,290	$23,650
Asheville, NC	1,380	$22,730
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC	1,200	$21,820
Greensboro-High Point, NC	1,150	$20,160
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC	1,110	$22,250
Winston-Salem, NC	1,040	$21,870
Wilmington, NC	710	$22,490
Fayetteville, NC	670	$19,360
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC	650	$19,430
Goldsboro, NC	360	$18,490
Burlington, NC	350	$20,490
Greenville, NC	310	$22,050
Jacksonville, NC	270	$19,860
New Bern, NC	200	$21,760
Rocky Mount, NC	190	$20,590

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.