Food preparation workers

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2019 Workforce

1.02M

Average Age

Estimated Job Growth

7.88%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$16,116

Average Male Salary

$16,665

Average Female Salary

$15,718

About

Food preparation workers are most often employed by the Restaurants & Food Services industry. The average yearly wage for Food preparation workers was $16,116 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Food preparation workers by wage are Residential advisors, Other entertainment attendants and related workers, and Childcare workers.

Food preparation workers are part of the Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations, along with Chefs & head cooks, Firstline supervisors of food preparation & serving workers, Cooks, Food preparation workers, Bartenders, and 7 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Food preparation workers are Washington Heights, Inwood & Marble Hill PUMA, NY, Lawrence, Haverhill & Methuen Town Cities PUMA, MA, and Chinatown & Lower East Side PUMA, NY. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Food preparation workers are Carr 3 (Noreste) PUMA, PR, Las Vegas City (Southeast) PUMA, NV, and Lynn City, Swampscott & Nahant Towns PUMA, MA.

Photo by Peter Burka

Service Occupations Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Food preparation workers and on wages and locations for those in the field. Restaurants & Food Services is the industry that employs the most Food preparation workers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Food preparation workers, by average wage, is Other health care services. Food preparation workers are paid most in Pittsburg & Concord (North & East) Cities PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Carr 3 (Noreste) PUMA, PR.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$16,116

AVERAGE SALARY

± $477

In 2019, Food preparation workers earned an average of $16,116, $39,408 less than than the average national salary of $55,524.

Childcare workers make somewhat more than Food preparation workers while Residential advisors make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Food preparation workers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.383

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Food preparation workers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.383, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Food preparation workers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Food preparation workers.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Food preparation workers

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Food preparation workers.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Food preparation workers, by number of employees, are Restaurants & Food Services, Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores, and Elementary & secondary schools.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Food preparation workers, by average wage, are Air transportation, Not specified retail trade, Motion pictures & video industries, Other health care services, Bakeries & tortilla manufacturing, except retail bakeries, Seafood & other miscellaneous foods, n.e.c. , General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Travel arrangements & reservation services, Animal slaughtering & processing, Executive offices & legislative bodies, Clothing stores, Other health care services, Seafood & other miscellaneous foods, n.e.c. , National security & international affairs, Motion pictures & video industries, Outpatient care centers, Miscellaneous general merchandise stores, and Bakeries & tortilla manufacturing, except retail bakeries.

Industries by Share

1.02M

2019 Workforce

± 24,697

-3.06%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 3.51%

The number of people employed as Food preparation workers has been declining at a rate of -3.06%, from 1,050,925 people in 2018 to 1,018,735 people in 2019.

This graphic shows the share of Food preparation workers employed by various industries. Restaurants & Food Services employs the largest share of Food preparation workers at 62.7%, followed by Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores with 14.7% and Elementary & secondary schools with 4.3%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Food preparation workers in the US. The average age of male Food preparation workers in the workforce is 30 and of female Food preparation workers is 36.9, and the most common race/ethnicity for Food preparation workers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

429k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 16,054

590k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 18,821

57.9% of Food preparation workers are Female, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Food preparation workers.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Food preparation workers

White (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)

48.8% of Food preparation workers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 17% of Food preparation workers, White (Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Food preparation workers.

Age by Gender

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.522

36.9

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.529

The median age of Food preparation workers is 34, and Male employees are generally 6.85 years younger than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Food preparation workers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Food preparation workers is Business but a relatively high number of Food preparation workers hold a major in Personal & Culinary Services.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Food preparation workers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Food preparation workers need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Time Management, and Speaking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Food preparation workers need more than the average amount of Service Orientation, Time Management, and Social Perceptiveness.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Growth Projections

Projections on wages and job growth for Food preparation workers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ten-year national workforce is projected to grow 6.85%, but Food preparation workers are expected to see a growth of 7.88% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow higher than the national average.

Job Growth

7.88%

ESTIMATED GROWTH

6.85%

NATIONAL AVERAGE

This line chart shows the 10-year projected employment growth (from 2018 to 2028) for Food preparation workers. This profession is expected to grow faster than 6.85%, the average rate of national job growth.