Food Preparation Workers pay in Milwaukee-Waukesha
$35,080avg. a year
$16.86 an hour · 4,500 employed
Food Preparation Workers in the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area earn an average of $35,080 a year. That is $1,080 (3%) more than the Wisconsin average of $34,000. The U.S. average is $35,290.
$35,470Median pay
$16.86Average hourly
+3%vs. Wisconsin average
4,500Jobs in this metro
Other Wisconsin metro areas
Average pay for food preparation workers in other Wisconsin metro areas. Swipe to see all 14.
12,330 jobs
Madison, WI
$36,760
$17.67 an hour
216,810 jobs
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
$36,390
$17.50 an hour
3490 jobs
Kenosha, WI
$34,480
$16.58 an hour
41,050 jobs
Duluth, MN-WI
$33,840
$16.27 an hour
5650 jobs
Appleton, WI
$33,740
$16.22 an hour
6660 jobs
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN
$33,540
$16.13 an hour
7500 jobs
Oshkosh-Neenah, WI
$33,500
$16.10 an hour
8370 jobs
Sheboygan, WI
$33,280
$16.00 an hour
9580 jobs
Eau Claire, WI
$33,190
$15.96 an hour
10490 jobs
Janesville-Beloit, WI
$32,770
$15.75 an hour
11440 jobs
Wausau, WI
$32,570
$15.66 an hour
121,260 jobs
Green Bay, WI
$32,550
$15.65 an hour
13320 jobs
Fond du Lac, WI
$32,420
$15.59 an hour
14500 jobs
Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI
$32,040
$15.40 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha compares
Pay range: metro vs. state vs. U.S.
Annual wage percentiles, May 2025
This metroWisconsinU.S.
Wisconsin metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 · this metro highlighted
Related jobs in Milwaukee-Waukesha
| Job | Avg. pay in this metro |
|---|---|
| Cooks, Restaurant | $37,810 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $29,370 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $35,250 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $43,780 |
| Bartenders | $27,850 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | $28,930 |
Questions and answers
How much do food preparation workers make in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
The average is $35,080 a year, and the median is $35,470. About 4,500 people work in this job in the metro area.
Is that more than the Wisconsin average?
That is $1,080 (3%) more than the Wisconsin average of $34,000.
Is this job common in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
It makes up 5.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the metro area, 0.95 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: Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metropolitan statistical area (BLS area code 33340). 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.