Food Preparation Workers salary in Washington
SOC 35-2021 · BLS OEWS May 2025
How local pay compares
After local prices: the $40,910 median has purchasing power comparable to about $38,229 nationally. Washington's BEA regional price parity is 107.0 (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 Washington.
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 Washington
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 area | Median | Cost of living | Employed | Concentrationvs. national |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $43,830 | 111.1 | 11,060 | 0.92× |
| 2 | Yakima, WA | $41,750 | 95.5 | 600 | 1.07× |
| 3 | Walla Walla, WA | $40,030 | 98.5 | 210 | 1.42× |
| 4 | Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $39,400 | 105.6 | 580 | 1.08× |
| 5 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $38,730 | 105.4 | 6,870 | 0.99× |
| 6 | Longview-Kelso, WA | $38,460 | 97.5 | 260 | 1.11× |
| 7 | Kennewick-Richland, WA | $38,390 | 100.1 | 810 | 1.09× |
| 8 | Bellingham, WA | $38,240 | 103.3 | 630 | 1.21× |
| 9 | Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $37,950 | 103.7 | 680 | 0.90× |
| 10 | Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $37,740 | 102.4 | 280 | 0.93× |
| 11 | Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | $36,580 | 103.9 | 330 | 1.11× |
| 12 | Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | $36,360 | 100.3 | 1,310 | 0.89× |
| 13 | Lewiston, ID-WA | $35,780 | 91.2 | 170 | 1.04× |
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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