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Best states for a food packer
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you want to become a food packer at KFC, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for food packers that you can check out, before you begin your journey. We wanted to look at the best states for food packers -- where there are plenty of food packer jobs to go around and food packers get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for food packers. Iowa is the best state for food packers, where the median salary is $32,114.Iowa is the best state, and Spokane is the city with the highest pay for food packers.
10 best states for food packers in 2026
1. Iowa
Total food packer jobs: 426 Average annual salary: $32,114 Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Location Quotient: 1.35
2. Minnesota
Total food packer jobs: 549 Average annual salary: $34,261 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Location Quotient: 0.95
3. Wisconsin
Total food packer jobs: 655 Average annual salary: $31,476 Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Location Quotient: 1.36
4. Pennsylvania
Total food packer jobs: 1,539 Average annual salary: $30,287 Lowest 10 percent earn: $24,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Location Quotient: 1.52
5. Michigan
Total food packer jobs: 862 Average annual salary: $31,073 Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Location Quotient: 1.28
6. Montana
Total food packer jobs: 104 Average annual salary: $32,584 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Location Quotient: 1.04
7. Wyoming
Total food packer jobs: 49 Average annual salary: $32,541 Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
8. Maine
Total food packer jobs: 125 Average annual salary: $32,933 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Location Quotient: 1.08
9. New Jersey
Total food packer jobs: 1,212 Average annual salary: $32,223 Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Location Quotient: 1.76
10. Washington
Total food packer jobs: 523 Average annual salary: $34,264 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Location Quotient: 0.82
Food packer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a food packer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a food packer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa | $32,114 | $26,000 | 3,145,711 | 426 |
| 2 | Minnesota | $34,261 | $28,000 | 5,576,606 | 549 |
| 3 | Wisconsin | $31,476 | $25,000 | 5,795,483 | 655 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $30,287 | $24,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,539 |
| 5 | Michigan | $31,073 | $25,000 | 9,962,311 | 862 |
| 6 | Montana | $32,584 | $27,000 | 1,050,493 | 104 |
| 7 | Wyoming | $32,541 | $26,000 | 579,315 | 49 |
| 8 | Maine | $32,933 | $28,000 | 1,335,907 | 125 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $32,223 | $26,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,212 |
| 10 | Washington | $34,264 | $28,000 | 7,405,743 | 523 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $32,938 | $28,000 | 6,859,819 | 827 |
| 12 | Alaska | $32,087 | $28,000 | 739,795 | 96 |
| 13 | Kentucky | $29,252 | $22,000 | 4,454,189 | 476 |
| 14 | New York | $34,254 | $27,000 | 19,849,399 | 970 |
| 15 | Indiana | $29,374 | $23,000 | 6,666,818 | 713 |
| 16 | Utah | $31,135 | $24,000 | 3,101,833 | 213 |
| 17 | Illinois | $30,910 | $24,000 | 12,802,023 | 967 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $31,644 | $26,000 | 3,588,184 | 248 |
| 19 | North Dakota | $29,392 | $25,000 | 755,393 | 77 |
| 20 | South Dakota | $28,536 | $23,000 | 869,666 | 123 |
| 21 | Maryland | $32,965 | $25,000 | 6,052,177 | 450 |
| 22 | Nebraska | $30,641 | $24,000 | 1,920,076 | 154 |
| 23 | Ohio | $28,379 | $22,000 | 11,658,609 | 935 |
| 24 | Vermont | $31,212 | $27,000 | 623,657 | 55 |
| 25 | Delaware | $30,206 | $23,000 | 961,939 | 103 |
| 26 | Rhode Island | $28,980 | $24,000 | 1,059,639 | 116 |
| 27 | Oregon | $31,404 | $25,000 | 4,142,776 | 273 |
| 28 | Nevada | $28,822 | $22,000 | 2,998,039 | 198 |
| 29 | New Hampshire | $30,906 | $26,000 | 1,342,795 | 111 |
| 30 | Colorado | $30,380 | $24,000 | 5,607,154 | 407 |
| 31 | Idaho | $30,426 | $24,000 | 1,716,943 | 104 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $28,389 | $22,000 | 3,004,279 | 180 |
| 33 | Kansas | $26,798 | $21,000 | 2,913,123 | 294 |
| 34 | Arizona | $26,684 | $20,000 | 7,016,270 | 566 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $25,612 | $19,000 | 5,024,369 | 520 |
| 36 | California | $29,839 | $23,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,645 |
| 37 | Missouri | $27,622 | $21,000 | 6,113,532 | 446 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $23,744 | $18,000 | 6,715,984 | 679 |
| 39 | North Carolina | $24,822 | $19,000 | 10,273,419 | 972 |
| 40 | West Virginia | $24,626 | $19,000 | 1,815,857 | 137 |
| 41 | Georgia | $25,522 | $20,000 | 10,429,379 | 850 |
| 42 | Virginia | $25,388 | $19,000 | 8,470,020 | 859 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $20,669 | $16,000 | 2,984,100 | 268 |
| 44 | New Mexico | $25,664 | $20,000 | 2,088,070 | 140 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $28,100 | $24,000 | 1,427,538 | 50 |
| 46 | Texas | $24,163 | $19,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,513 |
| 47 | Florida | $23,372 | $18,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,217 |
| 48 | District of Columbia | $25,889 | $20,000 | 693,972 | 49 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $22,035 | $17,000 | 3,930,864 | 234 |
| 50 | Alabama | $23,331 | $18,000 | 4,874,747 | 288 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $19,465 | $15,000 | 4,684,333 | 251 |
Highest paying states for food packers
| Rank | State | Avg. Food Packer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa | $32,114 |
| 2 | Minnesota | $34,261 |
| 3 | Wisconsin | $31,476 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $30,287 |
| 5 | Michigan | $31,073 |
| 6 | Montana | $32,584 |
| 7 | Wyoming | $32,541 |
| 8 | Maine | $32,933 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $32,223 |
| 10 | Washington | $34,264 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $32,938 |
| 12 | Alaska | $32,087 |
| 13 | Kentucky | $29,252 |
| 14 | New York | $34,254 |
| 15 | Indiana | $29,374 |
| 16 | Utah | $31,135 |
| 17 | Illinois | $30,910 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $31,644 |
| 19 | North Dakota | $29,392 |
| 20 | South Dakota | $28,536 |
| 21 | Maryland | $32,965 |
| 22 | Nebraska | $30,641 |
| 23 | Ohio | $28,379 |
| 24 | Vermont | $31,212 |
| 25 | Delaware | $30,206 |
| 26 | Rhode Island | $28,980 |
| 27 | Oregon | $31,404 |
| 28 | Nevada | $28,822 |
| 29 | New Hampshire | $30,906 |
| 30 | Colorado | $30,380 |
| 31 | Idaho | $30,426 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $28,389 |
| 33 | Kansas | $26,798 |
| 34 | Arizona | $26,684 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $25,612 |
| 36 | California | $29,839 |
| 37 | Missouri | $27,622 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $23,744 |
| 39 | North Carolina | $24,822 |
| 40 | West Virginia | $24,626 |
| 41 | Georgia | $25,522 |
| 42 | Virginia | $25,388 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $20,669 |
| 44 | New Mexico | $25,664 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $28,100 |
| 46 | Texas | $24,163 |
| 47 | Florida | $23,372 |
| 48 | District of Columbia | $25,889 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $22,035 |
| 50 | Alabama | $23,331 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $19,465 |
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Updated January 8, 2025