SalaryExplorer

SOC 35-1012 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers — Bloomington

Bloomington, IL · 7 metro areas compared

$36,780 /year
$17.68per hour
700jobs in area
−16.6%vs US median

In Bloomington, IL the median wage is $36,780.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $44,08010TH$31,200MEDIAN$36,78075TH$46,10090TH$60,070

How pay has moved

$39,048$25,4432019202020212022202320242025$36,780
$27,710 in 2019 to $36,780 in 2025, +32.7% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow faster than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+6.0%
Openings per year
183,900
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
Related work experience
Less than 5 years

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Bloomington, IL.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

In Bloomington, IL the median wage is $36,780. That is 16.6% lower than the national median of $44,080. Pay ranges from under $31,200 at the tenth percentile to more than $60,070 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $34,450 to $46,100.

Employment stands at 700, or 8.0 jobs per thousand held locally. Within the state, Chicago records the highest median at $42,650. Of the 268 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 221st.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Bloomington, IL · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$31,200−29.2%
25th$34,450−21.8%
Median (50th)$36,780−16.6%
75th$46,100+4.6%
90th$60,070+36.3%
Mean$41,810−5.1%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Illinois

Median annual wage for First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Chicago$42,65030,180
2Decatur$39,730300
3Champaign$38,370880
4Rockford$37,7501,130
5Peoria$37,5101,140
6Springfield$37,450670
7Kankakee$37,320370

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Bloomington run 6.5% below the national average, so the median of $36,780 goes as far as $39,337 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 10.8% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$36,780as reported by BLS

Local price level

93.5US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$39,337US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $36,780 a year, 16.6% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $31,200 to $60,070 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 700 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Chicago, at $42,650.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers in Bloomington, IL?

The median annual wage is $36,780, or $17.68 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $44,080, so pay in Bloomington, IL is 16.6% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Bloomington, IL earns more than $60,070 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $31,200 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Chicago, at $42,650 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 700 jobs in this occupation in Bloomington, IL. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.