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Food Preparation Workers salary in Florida

SOC 35-2021 · BLS OEWS May 2025

Median
$35,920
per year in Florida
Middle half
$30,420–$37,440
25th to 75th percentile
Employed
73,100
in Florida
Concentration
1.28×
share of workforce vs. U.S.

How local pay compares

Florida
$35,920
published median
United States
$35,320
1.7% above the national median
Rank among states and DC
16th
51 with a published estimate

After local prices: the $35,920 median has purchasing power comparable to about $34,734 nationally. Florida's BEA regional price parity is 103.4 (2024).

What the local range looks like

The wash spans the 10th to 90th percentile, the darker section is the middle half, and the tick is the median for Florida.

$28,190$43,300

Getting in

Typical education to enter
No formal educational credential
Related work experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training

Narrow to a metro in Florida

Every linked area below has a published estimate for food preparation workers. Missing areas were withheld by BLS rather than measured at zero.

The median wage as published, before local prices are taken into account.

#Metro areaMedianCost of livingEmployedConcentrationvs. national
1Naples-Marco Island, FL$38,190103.21,6101.61×
2North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL$37,320102.43,4801.78×
3Port St. Lucie, FL$37,000100.21,5901.62×
4Jacksonville, FL$36,73099.54,6301.05×
5Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL$36,68097.01,0501.46×
6Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL$36,560102.32,4601.40×
7Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL$36,330100.910,1501.22×
8Punta Gorda, FL$36,310100.57602.30×
9Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$36,090114.219,6301.21×
10Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL$35,870100.02,0501.46×
11Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL$35,600101.410,3001.27×
12Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL$35,60098.36301.90×
13Wildwood-The Villages, FL$35,41085.45002.11×
14Gainesville, FL$35,05096.71,3201.50×
15Homosassa Springs, FL$34,92093.54302.12×
16Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL$34,88097.71,6801.54×
17Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL$34,85099.42,5402.02×
18Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL$34,77097.37001.35×
19Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL$34,61097.11,9301.26×
20Ocala, FL$34,56095.29601.39×
21Tallahassee, FL$33,76093.91,5701.47×
22Sebring, FL$32,33092.52301.44×

Cost of living is the BEA regional price parity for all items, where 100 is the national average. Concentration is the BLS location quotient: how much more of the local workforce does this job than the national average, so 2.00× means twice the national share. It is often the reason wages differ — a place that concentrates an occupation has the employers and the competition for it. Metro areas where food preparation workers wages are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality are omitted.

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