Food Preparation Workers Salary
Food Preparation Workers in Yakima, WA make a median of $41,750 a year, or about $20.07 an hour. The range runs from $35K at the entry level to $46K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.55), that's roughly $43,694 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,374/month, about 45.7% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $42K actually covers in Yakima, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Yakima’s Regional Price Parity (95.55). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About food preparation workers
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What this looks like in Yakima
Yakima sits well above the national pay line for food preparation workers, local pay runs about 18% higher than the U.S. median of $35K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,374/month, which is 46.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 95.55) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for food preparation workers in metros near Yakima, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | $44K | $39K |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley | $36K | $36K |
| Kennewick-Richland | $38K | $38K |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater | $38K | $37K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Yakima, WA
Entry-level food preparation workers (10th percentile) start around $35K. Mid-career wages sit at $42K. Top earners bring in $46K or more, a $12K spread from bottom to top.
Food Preparation Workers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Food Preparation Workers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $41K | +16% | 19,510 |
| District of Columbia | $40K | +12% | 3,970 |
| California | $39K | +11% | 112,750 |
| Colorado | $39K | +10% | 12,080 |
| Massachusetts | $39K | +10% | 13,620 |
| Hawaii | $38K | +8% | 5,950 |
| Oregon | $37K | +6% | 11,860 |
| North Dakota | $37K | +4% | 980 |
| New Hampshire | $37K | +4% | 3,420 |
| Arizona | $37K | +4% | 16,590 |
| Connecticut | $37K | +4% | 12,250 |
| Vermont | $37K | +3% | 1,350 |
| Wyoming | $36K | +2% | 1,620 |
| Maine | $36K | +2% | 4,560 |
| Delaware | $36K | +2% | 2,400 |
| Florida | $36K | +2% | 73,100 |
| Alaska | $36K | +1% | 2,800 |
| New York | $36K | +1% | 62,380 |
| New Jersey | $36K | +1% | 24,730 |
| Maryland | $36K | +1% | 13,280 |
| Rhode Island | $35K | +0% | 2,830 |
| Georgia | $35K | -0% | 26,450 |
| Nebraska | $35K | -0% | 6,890 |
| Virginia | $35K | -1% | 16,340 |
| Minnesota | $35K | -1% | 24,620 |
| Illinois | $35K | -1% | 34,820 |
| Ohio | $35K | -2% | 19,480 |
| Wisconsin | $34K | -4% | 17,990 |
| Montana | $34K | -4% | 2,990 |
| Utah | $34K | -5% | 10,530 |
| Nevada | $33K | -5% | 11,420 |
| New Mexico | $33K | -6% | 6,850 |
| South Carolina | $32K | -9% | 14,460 |
| Missouri | $32K | -11% | 13,650 |
| Idaho | $32K | -11% | 4,670 |
| Michigan | $31K | -12% | 17,380 |
| Pennsylvania | $31K | -13% | 17,940 |
| Texas | $31K | -13% | 81,280 |
| South Dakota | $30K | -14% | 3,270 |
| Iowa | $30K | -14% | 4,170 |
| Kansas | $30K | -14% | 7,680 |
| North Carolina | $30K | -14% | 24,960 |
| Indiana | $30K | -16% | 16,200 |
| Tennessee | $29K | -19% | 19,780 |
| Oklahoma | $29K | -19% | 7,430 |
| West Virginia | $28K | -20% | 2,960 |
| Alabama | $28K | -21% | 17,680 |
| Arkansas | $28K | -22% | 5,500 |
| Kentucky | $27K | -24% | 15,390 |
| Mississippi | $26K | -26% | 7,870 |
| Louisiana | $24K | -33% | 30,920 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track food preparation workers salary changes
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Related careers in Food Service
Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a food preparation worker afford a 2BR apartment alone in Yakima?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $42K, rent takes 46.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,374/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for food preparation workers in Yakima?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new food preparation workers typically earn — is $35K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,490/month. At HUD’s $1,374/month FMR, rent would take 55% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is food preparation worker a high-paying job in Yakima?
Local pay is 18% above the national median — $42K here vs. $35K nationally.
How does Yakima compare to the national average for food preparation workers?
Yakima pays $42K median vs. the U.S. average of $35K — that’s +18%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.55), the purchasing-power equivalent is $44K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do food preparation workers make in Yakima, WA?
The median is $41,750 a year, that works out to about $20 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $34,650, and experienced food preparation workers can clear $46,350. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $42K enough to live in Yakima?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,965/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,374/month, which eats 46.3% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a food preparation workers salary go in Yakima?
Yakima has a Regional Price Parity of 95.55 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median food preparation workers salary is worth about $43,694 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do food preparation workers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.