Food Preparation Workers Salary in Oklahoma

In Oklahoma, food preparation workers earn a median $28,540 a year, well below the national median of $35,320 (−19%); the state ranks 45th of 51 states by median. That is 37% less than the median across all occupations in Oklahoma ($45,600). Among neighbouring states, Colorado, New Mexico, Missouri, Texas and Kansas pay more (up to $38,960 in Colorado) and Arkansas pays less (down to $27,660 in Arkansas). Oklahoma employs 7,430 food preparation workers, 4.35 per 1,000 jobs, the 33rd largest count of any state. A location quotient of 0.76 means it is less common in Oklahoma than nationally.

Oklahoma vs the United States, May 2025

Food Preparation Workers: wage percentiles, mean, employment, jobs per 1,000 and location quotient in Oklahoma and nationally, May 2025
AreaBasisPercentile wageMeanEmploymentJobs per 1,000Location quotient
10th25thMedian75th90th
OklahomaHourly$10.00$11.00$13.72$16.33$17.30$13.807,4304.350.76
Annual$20,800$22,870$28,540$33,960$35,980$28,710
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: $20,800$20,80025th25th: $22,870$22,870MedianMedian: $28,540$28,54075th75th: $33,960$33,96090th90th: $35,980$35,980US median
Oklahoma 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
45th of 51 states
Rank by employment
33rd of 51 states
Location quotient
0.76
Jobs per 1,000
4.35

Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of Oklahoma'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 Oklahoma

5 metropolitan areas and 4 nonmetropolitan areas touching Oklahoma 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
Tulsa, OK$14.60$30,370$21,820$36,6801,7503.810.66
Oklahoma City, OK$14.50$30,160$22,200$36,1903,2404.790.83
Lawton, OK$13.04$27,130$19,840$36,3601503.600.63
Fort Smith, AR-OK$12.93$26,900$23,460$36,4603203.330.58
Enid, OK$11.93$24,810$18,810$32,590602.590.45
Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area$11.10$23,090$19,830$32,6806005.070.88
Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area$10.71$22,270$18,470$32,6804204.300.75
Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area$10.63$22,110$19,290$32,6809004.800.84
Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area$10.63$22,110$18,720$32,6802303.760.65

Neighbouring states

StateMedian hourlyMedian annualEmploymentLocation quotient
Oklahoma$13.72$28,5407,4300.76
Arkansas$13.30$27,6605,5000.73
Colorado$18.73$38,96012,0800.73
Kansas$14.56$30,2807,6800.93
Missouri$15.15$31,51013,6500.81
New Mexico$16.04$33,3706,8501.37
Texas$14.74$30,65081,2801.01

See the national page for Food Preparation Workers (every state ranked) and the Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma 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.