Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a food preparation worker make in Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL?

In the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metropolitan area, food preparation workers earned a median of $36,090 a year ($17.35 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 19,630 of these jobs there. That is 26% below the $48,640 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $28,880 and $44,160; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Florida tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $31,178 in take-home pay.

Food preparation worker pay in Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL at a glance

Median salary

$36,090$17.35 per hour · $3,008 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$28,880$13.89/hr
25th percentile$29,890$14.37/hr
75th percentile$37,300$17.93/hr
90th percentile$44,160$21.23/hr
Jobs in this metro19,630Location quotient 1.21 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here26% belowAll-jobs median $48,640
Against Floridaabout the same asStatewide median $35,920
Against the U.S.2% aboveNational median $35,320

Run the numbers on your own pay

Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Food preparation worker salary in Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL after taxes

$36,090
$15,000$75,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$36,090
Net 86%
Fed 6%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$31,178After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,598Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,199Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate13.6%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$2,151 / yr
Florida state income taxNo state wage tax$0
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,761 / yr

Food preparation workers pay range in Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What food preparation workers earned in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (FL)
10th percentile$13.89/hr$2,407$28,880$25,385
25th percentile$14.37/hr$2,491$29,890$26,197
MedianMedian$17.35/hr$3,008$36,090$31,178
75th percentile$17.93/hr$3,108$37,300$32,151
90th percentile$21.23/hr$3,680$44,160$37,663

Is $36,090 a good salary in Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for food preparation workers next to both.

Median household income$76,527Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)114.214.2% above national average
One paycheck vs. a household47.2%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Food preparation worker pay in Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL: common questions

What is the median salary for food preparation workers in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?

The BLS median annual wage for food preparation workers in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area was $36,090 in May 2025, about $3,008 a month or $17.35 an hour. Statewide, the Florida median for this job is $35,920, so the metro pays about the same as the state.

What is the hourly pay for food preparation workers in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?

The median hourly wage for food preparation workers in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL was $17.35 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $13.89 an hour and one in ten earned more than $21.23.

How many food preparation workers work in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?

BLS estimated 19,630 jobs for food preparation workers in the metro in May 2025, or 7.0 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.21 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for food preparation workers in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?

BLS wage estimates for food preparation workers in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL run from $28,880 at the 10th percentile to $29,890 at the 25th, $37,300 at the 75th, and $44,160 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do food preparation workers take home after taxes in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?

On a median gross salary of $36,090, an estimated $31,178 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,199 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Florida in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $4,912 (an effective rate of 13.6%).

How much do food preparation workers make per month in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?

On the median annual salary of $36,090, gross monthly income is $3,008. After federal, FICA, and Florida state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,598 per month (or $1,199 every two weeks).

Is $36,090 a good salary in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?

At $36,090, the median salary for food preparation workers is 47.2% of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL median household income ($76,527). It is 26% below the $48,640 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 114.2, so prices here run 14.2% above the U.S. average.