Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
SHARE ON:
Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020
35-0000 Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations (Major Group)
Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations comprises the following occupations:
Chefs and Head Cooks;
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers;
Cooks, Fast Food;
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria;
Cooks, Private Household;
Cooks, Restaurant;
Cooks, Short Order;
Cooks, All Other;
Food Preparation Workers;
Bartenders;
Fast Food and Counter Workers;
Waiters and Waitresses;
Food Servers, Nonrestaurant;
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers;
Dishwashers;
Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop;
Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other
National estimates for Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations
Industry profile for Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations
Geographic profile for Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations
National estimates for Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 11,262,850 |
0.2 % |
$ 13.30 |
$ 27,650 |
0.2 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 8.78 |
$ 9.80 |
$ 12.26 |
$ 14.91 |
$ 19.05 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 18,260 |
$ 20,380 |
$ 25,500 |
$ 31,020 |
$ 39,630 |
Industry profile for Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places |
8,078,870 |
89.55 |
$ 12.90 |
$ 26,830 |
| Special Food Services |
447,500 |
80.18 |
$ 14.51 |
$ 30,180 |
| Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) |
401,770 |
13.82 |
$ 13.93 |
$ 28,980 |
| Traveler Accommodation |
366,310 |
24.17 |
$ 15.82 |
$ 32,900 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
334,190 |
4.05 |
$ 13.78 |
$ 28,660 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places |
8,078,870 |
89.55 |
$ 12.90 |
$ 26,830 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
242,770 |
85.57 |
$ 13.30 |
$ 27,660 |
| Special Food Services |
447,500 |
80.18 |
$ 14.51 |
$ 30,180 |
| Rooming and Boarding Houses |
3,200 |
31.97 |
$ 13.84 |
$ 28,780 |
| Traveler Accommodation |
366,310 |
24.17 |
$ 15.82 |
$ 32,900 |
Top paying industries for Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (4232, 4233, 4235, 4236, 4237, and 4239 only) |
70 |
0.01 |
$ 21.95 |
$ 45,660 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
12,160 |
0.58 |
$ 21.52 |
$ 44,760 |
| Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation |
680 |
1.86 |
$ 21.07 |
$ 43,830 |
| Plastics Product Manufacturing |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 21.00 |
$ 43,680 |
| Legal Services |
150 |
0.01 |
$ 20.82 |
$ 43,310 |
Geographic profile for Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
1,328,970 |
80.88 |
1.00 |
$ 15.93 |
$ 33,140 |
| Texas |
1,047,300 |
86.54 |
1.07 |
$ 11.53 |
$ 23,980 |
| Florida |
820,890 |
97.24 |
1.20 |
$ 12.85 |
$ 26,720 |
| New York |
572,430 |
65.86 |
0.81 |
$ 16.81 |
$ 34,970 |
| Ohio |
423,620 |
82.46 |
1.02 |
$ 11.82 |
$ 24,590 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Nevada |
144,830 |
115.78 |
1.43 |
$ 13.26 |
$ 27,580 |
| Hawaii |
66,100 |
115.16 |
1.42 |
$ 19.61 |
$ 40,790 |
| Montana |
47,380 |
104.04 |
1.28 |
$ 12.19 |
$ 25,350 |
| Oklahoma |
153,790 |
98.41 |
1.22 |
$ 11.03 |
$ 22,940 |
| Florida |
820,890 |
97.24 |
1.20 |
$ 12.85 |
$ 26,720 |
Top paying states for Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| District of Columbia |
41,810 |
60.84 |
0.75 |
$ 20.15 |
$ 41,910 |
| Hawaii |
66,100 |
115.16 |
1.42 |
$ 19.61 |
$ 40,790 |
| Washington |
254,380 |
79.61 |
0.98 |
$ 17.32 |
$ 36,030 |
| New York |
572,430 |
65.86 |
0.81 |
$ 16.81 |
$ 34,970 |
| Massachusetts |
240,700 |
71.85 |
0.89 |
$ 16.21 |
$ 33,720 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
549,100 |
62.15 |
0.77 |
$ 16.77 |
$ 34,880 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
482,270 |
82.83 |
1.02 |
$ 15.45 |
$ 32,140 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
318,650 |
73.05 |
0.90 |
$ 12.83 |
$ 26,680 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
281,530 |
78.45 |
0.97 |
$ 11.61 |
$ 24,160 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
252,880 |
85.18 |
1.05 |
$ 11.63 |
$ 24,190 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
217,570 |
86.76 |
1.07 |
$ 13.01 |
$ 27,060 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
208,110 |
79.04 |
0.98 |
$ 11.59 |
$ 24,100 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
200,010 |
66.18 |
0.82 |
$ 15.18 |
$ 31,570 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
185,690 |
68.86 |
0.85 |
$ 13.54 |
$ 28,160 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
176,220 |
67.73 |
0.84 |
$ 16.25 |
$ 33,800 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC |
25,790 |
166.82 |
2.06 |
$ 11.15 |
$ 23,190 |
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC |
11,550 |
155.38 |
1.92 |
$ 11.91 |
$ 24,770 |
| Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI |
10,390 |
155.11 |
1.92 |
$ 21.72 |
$ 45,180 |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL |
11,150 |
152.55 |
1.88 |
$ 11.18 |
$ 23,250 |
| Flagstaff, AZ |
8,540 |
150.04 |
1.85 |
$ 15.18 |
$ 31,570 |
| Brunswick, GA |
5,700 |
144.33 |
1.78 |
$ 11.49 |
$ 23,910 |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL |
15,430 |
141.24 |
1.74 |
$ 13.20 |
$ 27,460 |
| Ocean City, NJ |
4,910 |
140.75 |
1.74 |
$ 14.30 |
$ 29,740 |
| Jacksonville, NC |
6,330 |
138.95 |
1.72 |
$ 10.94 |
$ 22,750 |
| Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL |
20,200 |
138.53 |
1.71 |
$ 15.62 |
$ 32,500 |
United States Department of Labor
