Food Preparation Workers in Minnesota
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$29,136
after federal, FICA and Minnesota tax
Tax takes
$5,714
16.4% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$29,605
Minnesota costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Minnesota — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$34,850
Kept after tax
$29,136
Worth in national money
$29,605
State rank
26
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Minnesota is 26 of 51 states for food preparation workers, with a middle wage of $34,850. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Within Minnesota this is lower-paid work. Of 490 occupations the state publishes figures for, food preparation workers ranks 474. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- No great distortion either way. Minnesota costs about what the country costs, so from $34,850, take-home of $29,136 is worth roughly $29,605 in national money. The average comes to $35,610, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Minnesota ranks 26 of 51 for food preparation workers at $34,850. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Against every occupation Minnesota reports, food preparation workers ranks 474 of 490, in the lowest quartile of the state's distribution. That position is set by the local labor market and is independent of how the state compares nationally for this work.
- Price parity in Minnesota is near the national base, so for food preparation workers, whose median is $34,850, the adjusted figure of $29,605 differs little from $29,136 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $35,610 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Food Preparation Workers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $29,150 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $34,850 |
| Top tenth earn over | $45,790 |
| This salary | $34,850 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Minnesota | $29,136 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $30,182 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$1,455 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $33,548 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$1,759 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 98 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Minnesota earn less than $34,850. The published range is $29,150 up to $45,790, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Minnesota the take-home figure of $29,136, from $34,850, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 474 of 490 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Minnesota, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $29,605, the adjusted value of that $34,850 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 474 of 490 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for food preparation workers in Minnesota the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $29,150 to $45,790. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Minnesota is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $29,136 from $34,850. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 474 of 490 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Minnesota, so $29,605 — the adjusted value of that $34,850 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 474 of 490 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $29,150 at the bottom tenth to $45,790 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Minnesota sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $29,605 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Minnesota then takes its own share, leaving $29,136.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($29,150 to $45,790) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Minnesota rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Minnesota's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $29,605 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $29,136 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Minnesota income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.