SOC 35-2021 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Food Preparation Workers — New Mexico
New Mexico · 4 metro areas compared
The median wage for Food Preparation Workers in New Mexico is $33,370 per year, close to the national median of $35,320 for the same occupation.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to decline
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- -3.4%
- Openings per year
- 148,000
- Typical entry-level education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
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 New Mexico.
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
The median wage for Food Preparation Workers in New Mexico is $33,370 per year, close to the national median of $35,320 for the same occupation. Pay ranges from under $27,290 at the tenth percentile to more than $38,200 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $28,590 to $35,840.
Employment stands at 6,850, or 7.9 jobs per thousand held locally. Among the 51 states with published data for this occupation, New Mexico ranks 32nd by median wage. Santa Fe leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $36,120. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 597th of 634 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $27,290 | −22.7% |
| 25th | $28,590 | −19.1% |
| Median (50th) | $33,370 | −5.5% |
| 75th | $35,840 | +1.5% |
| 90th | $38,200 | +8.2% |
| Mean | $32,880 | −6.9% |
Highest-paying metro areas in New Mexico
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Fe | $36,120 | 560 | |
| 2 | Albuquerque | $34,380 | 2,570 | |
| 3 | Las Cruces | $32,360 | 830 | |
| 4 | Farmington | $31,030 | 320 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in New Mexico run 7.8% below the national average, so the median of $33,370 goes as far as $36,193 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 2.5% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$33,370as reported by BLSLocal price level
92.2US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$36,193US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $33,370 a year, 5.5% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $27,290 to $38,200 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 6,850 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 32nd of 51 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Santa Fe, at $36,120.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Food Preparation Workers in New Mexico?
The median annual wage is $33,370, or $16.04 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 $35,320, so pay in New Mexico is 5.5% 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 New Mexico earns more than $38,200 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $27,290 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 Santa Fe, at $36,120 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 6,850 jobs in this occupation in New Mexico. 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.
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