Food Preparation Workers pay range in Champaign
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $31,200 a year or less, while the top 10% make $41,780 or more. The middle half of food preparation workers in Champaign earn between $31,200 and $35,000.
- $31K10th
- $31K25th
- $32KMedian
- $35K75th
- $42K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $34,180 | $2,848 | $16.43 |
| Median | $31,850 | $2,654 | $15.31 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $31,200 | $2,600 | $15.00 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $35,000 | $2,917 | $16.83 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Food Preparation Workers salary after taxes in Champaign
On the average salary of $34,180, a single filer in Champaign takes home about $28,093 a year, or $2,341 a month and $1,080 every two weeks. Taxes take 18% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules).
Is Champaign a good place for food preparation workers? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Champaign area are 7% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 92.7), so the average $34,180 buys what about $36,870 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.6 times the median wage of all jobs in Champaign ($50,700). A typical home costs $237,290, or 6.9 years of this average salary before tax.
Food Preparation Workers salary in other Illinois cities
Champaign ranks 4th of 8 Illinois metro areas for this job; Chicago pays the most ($36,980).
- Chicago$36,980
- Decatur$34,380
- Rockford$34,330
- Champaign$34,180
- Peoria$34,050
- Springfield$33,860
- Bloomington$33,590
- Kankakee$33,530
Highest-paying cities for food preparation workers
Kahului, HI pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($48,150).
- Kahului, HI$48,150
- San Jose, CA$45,660
- Seattle, WA$44,390
- Napa, CA$44,240
- Santa Rosa, CA$43,450
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Food Preparation Workers salary in Champaign: questions
How much do food preparation workers make an hour in Champaign?
$16.43 an hour on average, and $15.31 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level food preparation workers salary in Champaign?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $31,200 a year and the 25th percentile is $31,200, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the food preparation workers take-home pay in Champaign?
About $28,093 a year ($2,341 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $34,180.
Do food preparation workers earn more in Champaign than elsewhere?
The average here is 4% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($35,748).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 35-2021; area Champaign-Urbana, IL (16580). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.0%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules).
- Job concentration: location quotient 1.09, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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