Food Preparation Workers pay in New Orleans-Metairie
$27,140avg. a year
$13.05 an hour · 7,250 employed
Food Preparation Workers in the New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area earn an average of $27,140 a year. That is $1,560 (6%) more than the Louisiana average of $25,580. The U.S. average is $35,290.
$26,200Median pay
$13.05Average hourly
+6%vs. Louisiana average
7,250Jobs in this metro
Other Louisiana metro areas
Average pay for food preparation workers in other Louisiana metro areas. Swipe to see all 9.
12,070 jobs
Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA
$26,370
$12.68 an hour
21,940 jobs
Lake Charles, LA
$26,180
$12.59 an hour
35,800 jobs
Baton Rouge, LA
$25,950
$12.48 an hour
42,860 jobs
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
$25,750
$12.38 an hour
53,260 jobs
Lafayette, LA
$24,850
$11.95 an hour
6870 jobs
Hammond, LA
$24,790
$11.92 an hour
71,630 jobs
Monroe, LA
$24,510
$11.79 an hour
81,150 jobs
Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA
$24,140
$11.61 an hour
9980 jobs
Alexandria, LA
$22,980
$11.05 an hour
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 New Orleans-Metairie compares
Pay range: metro vs. state vs. U.S.
Annual wage percentiles, May 2025
This metroLouisianaU.S.
Louisiana metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 · this metro highlighted
Related jobs in New Orleans-Metairie
| Job | Avg. pay in this metro |
|---|---|
| Cooks, Restaurant | $32,990 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $26,900 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $24,030 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $42,960 |
| Bartenders | $27,000 |
| Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | $30,110 |
Questions and answers
How much do food preparation workers make in New Orleans-Metairie?
The average is $27,140 a year, and the median is $26,200. About 7,250 people work in this job in the metro area.
Is that more than the Louisiana average?
That is $1,560 (6%) more than the Louisiana average of $25,580.
Is this job common in New Orleans-Metairie?
It makes up 16.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the metro area, 2.83 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: New Orleans-Metairie, LA metropolitan statistical area (BLS area code 35380). 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.