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The differences between deli associates and food preparers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a deli associate has an average salary of $28,360, which is higher than the $27,717 average annual salary of a food preparer.
The top three skills for a deli associate include food handling, basic math and customer service. The most important skills for a food preparer are food handling, work ethic, and food products.
| Deli Associate | Food Preparer | |
| Yearly salary | $28,360 | $27,717 |
| Hourly rate | $13.63 | $13.33 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 117,130 | 134,113 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 46% | High School Diploma, 41% |
| Average age | 23 | 23 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A deli associate is personnel who works in grocery and deli stores and assists shoppers by responding to their inquiries and requests. He/She updates his/her product displays to ensure that new items and promotions are showcased and follow all food safety and sanitation. Aside from engaging with customers, deli associates must possess the ability to lift heavy objects and operates equipment such as cash registers and meat slicers. Also, deli associates' minimum educational requirement is a high school diploma, but experience in deli counter work is a plus.
A food preparer or food preparation worker is the person who executes routine tasks under the supervision of chefs, food service managers, and cooks. Food preparation workers slice meat, cut vegetables, and prepare cold foods. They prepare ingredients of food for recipes as they assist cooks and chefs. Their duties and responsibilities include sifting, marinating, food safety, grating, and knife skills. They are also expected to weigh and measure dry and liquid ingredients.
Deli associates and food preparers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Deli Associate | Food Preparer | |
| Average salary | $28,360 | $27,717 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $39,000 | Between $20,000 And $37,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Commack, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | - | Mount Sinai Health System |
| Best paying industry | - | Retail |
There are a few differences between a deli associate and a food preparer in terms of educational background:
| Deli Associate | Food Preparer | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 46% | High School Diploma, 41% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between deli associates' and food preparers' demographics:
| Deli Associate | Food Preparer | |
| Average age | 23 | 23 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.2% Female, 62.8% | Male, 46.6% Female, 53.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |