Food Preparation Workers pay in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
$38,690avg. a year
$18.60 an hour · 14,810 employed
Food Preparation Workers in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area earn an average of $38,690 a year. That is $2,660 (6%) less than the District of Columbia average of $41,350. The U.S. average is $35,290.
$37,630Median pay
$18.60Average hourly
-6%vs. District of Columbia average
14,810Jobs in this metro
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
How Washington-Arlington-Alexandria compares
Pay range: metro vs. state vs. U.S.
Annual wage percentiles, May 2025
This metroDistrict of ColumbiaU.S.
Related jobs in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
| Job | Avg. pay in this metro |
|---|---|
| Cooks, Restaurant | $42,590 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | $37,450 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $35,550 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $51,820 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $51,700 |
| Bartenders | $56,200 |
Questions and answers
How much do food preparation workers make in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria?
The average is $38,690 a year, and the median is $37,630. About 14,810 people work in this job in the metro area.
Is that more than the District of Columbia average?
That is $2,660 (6%) less than the District of Columbia average of $41,350.
Is this job common in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria?
It makes up 4.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the metro area, 0.82 times the national share.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, occupation code 35-2021. Metro area: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan statistical area (BLS area code 47900). Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.