Food Preparation Workers Salary in Riverside, CA (2024)
Food Preparation Workers in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area earn a median of $37,990 per year ($18.26 per hour) based on 8,900 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +11.0% 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 Riverside, CA, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $16.00 | $33,280 | |
| 25th percentile | $16.89 | $35,140 | |
| Median | $18.26 | $37,990 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $20.96 | $43,590 | |
| 90th percentile | $22.13 | $46,040 | |
| Average (mean) | $19.06 | $39,630 |
How Riverside, CA compares
The local median of $37,990 runs +11.0% above the US median of $34,220 for this occupation; it pays 21.2% less than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($48,240); within the metro it ranks 604th of 664 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Riverside, CA — this occupation | $37,990 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $34,220 | +11.0% |
| Riverside, CA — all occupations | $48,240 | -21.2% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $41,980 | -9.5% |
The location quotient of 0.91 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 2.2%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 604th of 664 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Riverside, CA
To put $37,990 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 604th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Family Medicine Physicians | $234,800 | — |
| Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary | $214,870 | 150 |
| Dentists, All Other Specialists | $203,180 | — |
| Nurse Midwives | $201,870 | 60 |
| Chief Executives | $197,190 | 2,070 |
| Economics Teachers, Postsecondary | $186,670 | 60 |
| Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | $185,030 | 130 |
| Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary | $181,960 | 70 |
| Podiatrists | $178,040 | 80 |
| Communications Teachers, Postsecondary | $173,360 | 300 |
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 Riverside, CA?
The median annual wage is $37,990, or $18 per hour. That means half of the food preparation workers working in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $39,630.
What do the highest and lowest paid food preparation workers in Riverside, CA earn?
The bottom 10% earn $33,280 or less, while the top 10% earn $46,040 or more — a spread of $12,760 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $35,140 and $43,590.
Is food preparation workers pay in Riverside, CA above the local average?
Yes, it is 21.2% below the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $48,240. 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 Riverside, CA pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $37,990 the metro median is 11.0% 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 Riverside, CA?
BLS counts about 8,900 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 5.25 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. The location quotient of 0.91 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 15.7%). 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.