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Food Preparation Workers in California

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Food Preparation Workers in California

Is California a good place for you to work as a Food Preparation Worker?

12.2% Jobs Projection
$26,040 Median Salary
21,100 Job Openings

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?

102,680 people worked as Food Preparation Workers in 2018 in this state.

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.

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

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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%.

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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.

In 2017 the median pay for this field was $11.93 an hour.

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

The table below shows the states 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

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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