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 2025

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Central Minnesota	2,690	95	$16.80/hr	$13.90/hr	$14.38/hr	$16.15/hr	$18.20/hr	$21.81/hr
Northeast Minnesota	1,070	53	$16.13/hr	$13.34/hr	$13.90/hr	$15.92/hr	$17.65/hr	$20.00/hr
Northwest Minnesota	2,240	79	$16.36/hr	$13.55/hr	$13.96/hr	$16.05/hr	$18.13/hr	$21.29/hr
Southeast Minnesota	1,940	81	$17.09/hr	$13.61/hr	$14.27/hr	$17.04/hr	$19.21/hr	$22.58/hr
Southwest Minnesota	1,520	65	$16.35/hr	$13.61/hr	$14.01/hr	$15.67/hr	$17.84/hr	$20.44/hr
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	14,160	235	$17.59/hr	$14.33/hr	$14.65/hr	$17.44/hr	$18.76/hr	$22.66/hr
Minnesota	23,720	2,585	$17.20/hr	$13.98/hr	$14.44/hr	$17.02/hr	$18.42/hr	$22.30/hr
U S	888,770	13,332	$16.60/hr	$11.48/hr	$14.05/hr	$16.73/hr	$18.36/hr	$21.64/hr

Leading Industries for Food Preparation Workers

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Manufacturing	240	$15.06/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	6,540	$17.29/hr
Financial Activities	N/A	N/A
Professional and Business Services	560	$18.34/hr
Education and Health Services	5,550	$18.54/hr
Leisure and Hospitality	10,430	$14.80/hr
Other Services	30	$17.71/hr
Public Administration	360	$17.30/hr

Other Regional Data for Food Preparation Workers

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	230	$16.93/hr	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	380	$16.85/hr	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	430	$15.59/hr	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	480	$17.24/hr	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	720	$16.19/hr	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	760	$17.30/hr	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	830	$15.52/hr	N/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA	900	$16.14/hr	N/A
Southwest Balance of State	980	$14.61/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	1,070	$15.92/hr	-5.9%
Southeast Balance of State	1,490	$16.38/hr	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	1,520	$15.67/hr	-9.1%
Northwest Balance of State	1,850	$15.69/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	1,940	$17.04/hr	-7.0%
Northwest Minnesota	2,240	$16.05/hr	-8.6%
Central Minnesota	2,690	$16.15/hr	-8.1%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	14,160	$17.44/hr	-5.4%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	16,060	$17.43/hr	N/A
Minnesota	23,720	$17.02/hr	-6.3%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers	7,140	$14.18/hr	8.0%
Fast Food and Counter Workers	59,220	$15.62/hr	4.2%
Cooks, Restaurant	26,900	$18.69/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.