What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Prep Cooks Jobs in the United States?

We found several jobs related to Prep Cooks in the United States that pay more on average. Topping the list is Pet Food Taster at $16,380 (50.2%) above Prep Cooks. Job Title Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Pet Food Taster $49,008 $4,084 $942 $23.56 Cj Foods $48,188 $4,015 $926 $23.17 Banquet Cook $40,497 $3,374 $778 $19.47 Hen House $39,741 $3,311 $764 $19.11 Short Order Cook $33,984 $2,832 $653 $16.34

What are the top 10 cities with the highest pay for Prep Cooks?

We've identified 10 cities in the United States where Prep Cooks jobs typically pay above the area average. Topping the list is Calhoun City, MS (62.0% above average), followed by Cupertino, CA and Aspen, CO. City Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Calhoun City, MS $52,856 $4,404 $1,016 $25.41 Cupertino, CA $40,255 $3,354 $774 $19.35 Aspen, CO $39,438 $3,286 $758 $18.96 Santa Clara, CA $38,562 $3,213 $741 $18.54 Mountain View, CA $38,471 $3,205 $739 $18.50 San Francisco, CA $38,412 $3,201 $738 $18.47 Mammoth Lakes, CA $38,378 $3,198 $738 $18.45 Sunnyvale, CA $38,294 $3,191 $736 $18.41 Livermore, CA $38,273 $3,189 $736 $18.40 San Jose, CA $38,240 $3,186 $735 $18.38

Prep Cooks

Prep Cooks Salary

Q: How much does a Prep Cooks make?

The average annual pay for a prep cooks in the United States is $32,628 a year — that works out to approximately $15.69 an hour. The middle 80% of Prep Cookss earn between $25,000 (10th percentile) and $40,000 (90th percentile) per year, depending on experience and employer.

$19.5K

$32.5K

$42.5K

$32,628

/year

$15.69

/hour

Prep Cooks Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$32,628

Columbus

Ohio

$31,516

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How much does a Prep Cooks make?

As of Aug 10, 2026, the average annual pay for a Prep Cooks in the United States is $32,628 a year.

Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $15.69 an hour. This is the equivalent of $627/week or $2,719/month.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $42,500 and as low as $19,500, the majority of Prep Cooks salaries currently range between $28,500 (25th percentile) to $36,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $40,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Prep Cooks varies greatly (by as much as 7500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

A Prep Cooks in your area makes on average $31,516 per year, or $1,112 (3.408%) less than the national average annual salary of $32,628. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Prep Cooks salaries.

To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Prep Cooks jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

Find your next high paying job as a Prep Cooks on ZipRecruiter today.

What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Prep Cooks Jobs

We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Prep Cooks job is above the national average. Topping the list is Calhoun City, MS, , with Cupertino, CA, and Aspen, CO, close behind in the second and third positions. Aspen, CO, beats the national average by $6,810 (20.9%), and Calhoun City, MS, furthers that trend with another $20,228 (62.0%) above the $32,628 average.

With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Prep Cooks appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

Additionally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies as much as 32% between Calhoun City, MS, and San Jose, CA, , suggesting a strong potential for positive wage variance in a Prep Cooks role. Cost of living should also be factored in when balancing location and salary.

City	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Calhoun City, MS	$52,856	$4,404	$1,016	$25.41
Cupertino, CA	$40,255	$3,354	$774	$19.35
Aspen, CO	$39,438	$3,286	$758	$18.96
Santa Clara, CA	$38,562	$3,213	$741	$18.54
Mountain View, CA	$38,471	$3,205	$739	$18.50
San Francisco, CA	$38,412	$3,201	$738	$18.47
Mammoth Lakes, CA	$38,378	$3,198	$738	$18.45
Sunnyvale, CA	$38,294	$3,191	$736	$18.41
Livermore, CA	$38,273	$3,189	$736	$18.40
San Jose, CA	$38,240	$3,186	$735	$18.38

What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Prep Cooks Jobs in the U.S.

We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Prep Cooks category.

For example Pet Food Taster jobs pay as much as $16,380 (50.2%) more than the average Prep Cooks salary of $32,628. If you're qualified, finding work as a Pet Food Taster may help you make more money than that of the average Prep Cooks position.

Job Title	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Pet Food Taster	$49,008	$4,084	$942	$23.56
Cj Foods	$48,188	$4,015	$926	$23.17
Banquet Cook	$40,497	$3,374	$778	$19.47
Hen House	$39,741	$3,311	$764	$19.11
Short Order Cook	$33,984	$2,832	$653	$16.34

About Our Data

ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

Infographic detailing Prep Cooks salary across the United States as of August 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $32,628 per year or $15.69 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.

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