Food Preparation Workers in the Dubuque Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Food Preparation Workers pay in Dubuque, IA at a median of $32,520 per year ($15.63/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $35,320, the metro estimate is 8% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 150 food preparation workers are employed across the Dubuque MSA in SOC 35-2021.

The Dubuque pay distribution spans from $26,530 at the 10th percentile to $40,250 at the 90th, a 1.5× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $30,280 and the 75th at $36,790, so half of Dubuque-based food preparation workers earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Dubuque, IA covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide IA estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.