Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

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35-2021 Food Preparation Workers

Occupational Description:
Perform a variety of food preparation duties other than cooking, such as preparing cold foods and shellfish, slicing meat, and brewing coffee or tea.

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
First Quarter 2024

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Central Minnesota	2,170	80	$16.91/hr	$13.74/hr	$14.73/hr	$16.48/hr	$18.59/hr	$21.87/hr
Northeast Minnesota	990	49	$16.06/hr	$13.42/hr	$14.10/hr	$14.97/hr	$17.86/hr	$19.03/hr
Northwest Minnesota	2,120	77	$16.44/hr	$13.53/hr	$14.13/hr	$15.32/hr	$17.98/hr	$20.80/hr
Southeast Minnesota	1,540	66	$16.69/hr	$13.61/hr	$14.40/hr	$15.77/hr	$18.48/hr	$21.74/hr
Southwest Minnesota	1,340	60	$16.43/hr	$13.73/hr	$14.20/hr	$15.59/hr	$18.03/hr	$20.65/hr
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	10,630	184	$17.53/hr	$14.58/hr	$14.74/hr	$17.38/hr	$19.16/hr	$22.37/hr
Minnesota	18,860	1,452	$17.10/hr	$13.90/hr	$14.74/hr	$16.75/hr	$18.61/hr	$22.13/hr
U S	879,610	10,555	$16.34/hr	$11.38/hr	$13.83/hr	$16.07/hr	$18.22/hr	$21.31/hr

Leading Industries for Food Preparation Workers

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Manufacturing	260	$14.51/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	5,840	$17.11/hr
Financial Activities	N/A	N/A
Professional and Business Services	80	$17.38/hr
Education and Health Services	5,360	$18.69/hr
Leisure and Hospitality	7,070	$14.74/hr
Other Services	30	$17.56/hr
Public Administration	200	$17.93/hr

Other Regional Data for Food Preparation Workers

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	220	$16.57/hr	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	290	$15.42/hr	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	410	$14.93/hr	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	430	$17.46/hr	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	550	$15.11/hr	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	650	$16.77/hr	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	660	$16.35/hr	N/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA	830	$14.97/hr	N/A
Southwest Balance of State	910	$14.88/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	990	$14.97/hr	-5.9%
Southeast Balance of State	1,210	$15.55/hr	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	1,340	$15.59/hr	-9.1%
Southeast Minnesota	1,540	$15.77/hr	-7.0%
Northwest Balance of State	1,770	$14.99/hr	N/A
Northwest Minnesota	2,120	$15.32/hr	-8.6%
Central Minnesota	2,170	$16.48/hr	-8.1%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	10,630	$17.38/hr	-5.4%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	12,200	$17.34/hr	N/A
Minnesota	18,860	$16.75/hr	-6.3%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers	6,590	$14.19/hr	8.0%
Fast Food and Counter Workers	57,230	$14.79/hr	4.2%
Cooks, Restaurant	27,440	$18.58/hr	12.1%

Task for Food Preparation Workers

Add cutlery, napkins, food, and other items to trays on assembly lines in hospitals, cafeterias, airline kitchens, and similar establishments.
Operate cash register, handle money, and give correct change.
Receive and store food supplies, equipment, and utensils in refrigerators, cupboards, and other storage areas.
Use manual or electric appliances to clean, peel, slice, and trim foods.
Keep records of the quantities of food used.
Weigh or measure ingredients.
Inform supervisors when equipment is not working properly and when food and supplies are getting low, and order needed items.
Load dishes, glasses, and tableware into dishwashing machines.
Scrape leftovers from dishes into garbage containers.
Remove trash and clean kitchen garbage containers.