Food Preparation Workers Salary in Salem, OR

Food Preparation Workers pay range in Salem

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $31,510 a year or less, while the top 10% make $48,590 or more. The middle half of food preparation workers in Salem earn between $34,520 and $42,870.

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.

Food Preparation Workers salary after taxes in Salem

On the average salary of $39,160, a single filer in Salem takes home about $30,997 a year, or $2,583 a month and $1,192 every two weeks. Taxes take 21% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). Portland-area Metro and Multnomah County taxes and the 0.1% statewide transit tax are not included.

Is Salem a good place for food preparation workers? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Salem area are 4% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 103.6), so the average $39,160 buys what about $37,781 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.7 times the median wage of all jobs in Salem ($55,310). A typical home costs $454,689, or 11.6 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $39,160 is worth in another city

Food Preparation Workers salary in other Oregon cities

Salem ranks 3rd of 8 Oregon metro areas for this job; Portland pays the most ($41,410).

All Food Preparation Workers salaries in Oregon

Highest-paying cities for food preparation workers

Kahului, HI pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($48,150).

Food Preparation Workers salary by city

Related jobs in Salem

• Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria$46,010 a year
• Cooks, Restaurant$41,510 a year
• Cooks, Fast Food$35,810 a year
• Cooks, Short Order$35,740 a year
• Chefs and Head Cooks$66,240 a year
• Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other$52,400 a year
• Waiters and Waitresses$50,860 a year
• First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers$49,550 a year

Average salary in Salem and every job