Food Preparation Workers

Low pay & highrisk
High Risk
Low High

Explore safer careers (5)

Lower estimated automation risk

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
20% automation risk | Minimal Risk
Pays better Higher growth
46.9 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Advancement path using kitchen flow, food safety, supplies, task assignments, and service quality.

Food Service Managers
35% automation risk | Low Risk
Pays better Higher growth
31.7 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Fits experienced workers who build scheduling, inventory, sanitation compliance, vendor, and customer-service skills.

Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
50% automation risk | Moderate Risk
Higher growth
17 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Reuses batch prep, portioning, food safety, kitchen equipment, recipes, and service timing.

Butchers and Meat Cutters
61% automation risk | High Risk
Pays better Higher growth
5.6 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Fits workers with slicing and meat-prep experience using knives, sanitation, portioning, and product quality.

Food Science Technicians
52% automation risk | Moderate Risk
Pays better Higher growth
15 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Weaker but realistic with lab training, reusing food handling, sanitation, sampling, quality checks, and records.

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Occupation snapshot

What does this snowflake show?
The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes.
JOB SCORE
2.2/10
What's this?
Job Score (higher is better):

We rate jobs using four factors. These are:

- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions

These are some key things to think about when job hunting.

Risk & user votes

Calculated automation risk

67% (High Risk)

High Risk (61-80%): This occupation shows a significant risk of end-to-end replacement by automation. Many core parts of the role may be structured, repeatable, software-driven, or physically predictable enough for AI, machines, or robotic systems to take over. If you work in this area, it may be worth exploring safer related careers or moving towards more human-centred responsibilities.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Human strengths important in this job

These are human abilities and work contexts that are important in this occupation. They may help explain why parts of the role are harder to replace end-to-end, but they are not the only inputs into the automation score.

We have not found any highly rated human strengths for this job yet.

What users think

Based on 66 votes

70% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted that it's probable this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 67% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Food Preparation Workers will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

View sentiment trend

Pay & outlook

Wages

Very low paid relative to other professions

In 2024, the median annual wage for Food Preparation Workers was $34,220 ($16 per hour).

The median annual wage for Food Preparation Workers was 30.9% lower than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.

View wage trend

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Growth

Very slow growth relative to other professions.

The number of 'Food Preparation Workers' job openings is expected to decline 3.4% by 2034

View employment trend

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2023 and 2033
Updated projections are due 09-2025.

Volume

Significantly greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 888,770 people employed as 'Food Preparation Workers' within the United States.

This represents around 0.6% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 173 people are employed as 'Food Preparation Workers'.

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What people are saying (3)

Nick (Highly likely)
11 Dec 2023 09:36
When factories can do this more hygienic and in larger scale, more logistics will be in place less prepping for human beings.
Tyler Fortnite Ninja Blevins (No chance)
16 Nov 2020 10:35
Saying a job is going to be taken by robots is such a weak mindset.
Erin Clay
31 Mar 2019 22:12
I voted high because one can pretty much take a Raspberry Pi and a camera today and get a few robot arms and sensors (if they have the skills and know how, of course) and automate the process with some relays and programmable logic controllers (PLCs)...sooo by using a sensor network. But good food quality testing would have to be in place as well.
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Job description

Perform a variety of food preparation duties other than cooking, such as preparing cold foods and shellfish, slicing meat, and brewing coffee or tea.

O*NET-SOC code: 35-2021.00