Food Preparation Workers Salary in New Mexico

Food Preparation Workers in New Mexico have a median of $33,370 a year, below the national $35,320 (−6%); the state ranks 32nd of 51 states by median. That is 29% less than the median across all occupations in New Mexico ($47,210). Among neighbouring states, Colorado, Arizona and Utah pay more (up to $38,960 in Colorado) and Texas and Oklahoma pay less (down to $28,540 in Oklahoma). New Mexico employs 6,850 food preparation workers, 7.87 per 1,000 jobs, the 35th largest count of any state. A location quotient of 1.37 means the occupation is more concentrated in New Mexico than nationally.

New Mexico vs the United States, May 2025

Food Preparation Workers: wage percentiles, mean, employment, jobs per 1,000 and location quotient in New Mexico and nationally, May 2025
AreaBasisPercentile wageMeanEmploymentJobs per 1,000Location quotient
10th25thMedian75th90th
New MexicoHourly$13.12$13.75$16.04$17.23$18.37$15.816,8507.871.37
Annual$27,290$28,590$33,370$35,840$38,200$32,880
United StatesHourly$12.41$14.40$16.98$18.53$21.80$16.96893,600––
Annual$25,810$29,950$35,320$38,550$45,340$35,290
$0$10k$20k$30k$40k10th10th: $27,290$27,29025th25th: $28,590$28,590MedianMedian: $33,370$33,37075th75th: $35,840$35,84090th90th: $38,200$38,200US median
New Mexico annual wage at the 10th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th and 90th percentiles; the line marks the US median. The same numbers are in the table above.
Rank by median
32nd of 51 states
Rank by employment
35th of 51 states
Location quotient
1.37
Jobs per 1,000
7.87

Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of New Mexico's employment divided by its national share; 1.00 means the same share as the nation. Take-home pay at these wages: FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.

Metropolitan areas in New Mexico

4 metropolitan areas and 2 nonmetropolitan areas touching New Mexico publish a row for food preparation workers, sorted by median. Areas crossing a state line are listed under every state they touch; a linked metro has its own profile.

AreaMedian hourlyMedian annual10th pct (annual)90th pct (annual)EmploymentJobs per 1,000Location quotient
Santa Fe, NM$17.36$36,120$30,250$40,3705609.061.58
Albuquerque, NM$16.53$34,380$27,290$38,3202,5706.361.11
Las Cruces, NM$15.56$32,360$28,550$35,23083010.411.81
Farmington, NM$14.92$31,030$26,270$36,0603206.701.17
Eastern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area$14.91$31,010$27,610$36,4301,75010.521.83
Northern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area$14.67$30,520$26,600$37,2207709.161.59

Neighbouring states

StateMedian hourlyMedian annualEmploymentLocation quotient
New Mexico$16.04$33,3706,8501.37
Arizona$17.67$36,75016,5900.89
Colorado$18.73$38,96012,0800.73
Oklahoma$13.72$28,5407,4300.76
Texas$14.74$30,65081,2801.01
Utah$16.12$33,54010,5301.06

See the national page for Food Preparation Workers (every state ranked) and the New Mexico wage profile (every occupation in the state).

Source and notes

Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS New Mexico estimates.

  • Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
  • Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.