Food Preparation Workers Salary in Chicago, IL (2024)
Food Preparation Workers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earn a median of $35,020 per year ($16.84 per hour) based on 24,090 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +2.3% against the national median of $34,220 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where food preparation workers actually sit across the pay range in Chicago, IL, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $14.00 | $29,120 | |
| 25th percentile | $14.42 | $29,990 | |
| Median | $16.84 | $35,020 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $18.42 | $38,320 | |
| 90th percentile | $21.55 | $44,830 | |
| Average (mean) | $17.58 | $36,560 |
How Chicago, IL compares
The local median of $35,020 runs +2.3% above the US median of $34,220 for this occupation; it pays 32.0% less than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($51,510); within the metro it ranks 668th of 700 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL — this occupation | $35,020 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $34,220 | +2.3% |
| Chicago, IL — all occupations | $51,510 | -32.0% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $41,980 | -16.6% |
The location quotient of 0.93 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 2.5%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 668th of 700 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Chicago, IL
To put $35,020 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 668th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $234,440 | 1,420 |
| Dentists, All Other Specialists | $221,790 | 80 |
| Physicians, All Other | $215,680 | 14,850 |
| Pediatricians, General | $198,440 | 1,120 |
| Air Traffic Controllers | $184,930 | 840 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $182,830 | 1,200 |
| Dentists, General | $175,140 | 3,980 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $168,230 | 21,760 |
| Lawyers | $166,090 | 28,380 |
| Financial Managers | $164,470 | 41,170 |
Where food preparation workers earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $29,770 to $41,980. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $41,980 | 11,930 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $39,660 | 12,470 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $39,300 | 6,300 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $38,130 | 8,010 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $38,090 | 10,540 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $37,990 | 8,900 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $37,580 | 39,020 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $37,270 | 7,720 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $36,330 | 54,130 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $36,220 | 14,120 |
See the full national picture on the Food Preparation Workers salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for food preparation workers in Chicago, IL?
The median annual wage is $35,020, or $17 per hour. That means half of the food preparation workers working in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $36,560.
What do the highest and lowest paid food preparation workers in Chicago, IL earn?
The bottom 10% earn $29,120 or less, while the top 10% earn $44,830 or more — a spread of $15,710 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $29,990 and $38,320.
Is food preparation workers pay in Chicago, IL above the local average?
Yes, it is 32.0% below the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $51,510. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does Chicago, IL pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $35,020 the metro median is 2.3% higher than the US median of $34,220 for food preparation workers. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $29,770 to $41,980.
How many food preparation workers work in Chicago, IL?
BLS counts about 24,090 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 5.38 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. The location quotient of 0.93 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 11.1%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.