Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
SHARE ON:
Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019
35-0000 Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations (Major Group)
This major group 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 this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation
National estimates for this occupation:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this major group:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 13,494,590 |
0.2 % |
$12.82 |
$26,670 |
0.2 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this major group:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$8.62 |
$9.56 |
$11.65 |
$14.31 |
$18.59 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$17,940 |
$19,890 |
$24,220 |
$29,770 |
$38,660 |
Industry profile for this occupation:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places |
9,728,540 |
89.94 |
$12.46 |
$25,910 |
| Special Food Services |
589,260 |
80.24 |
$13.97 |
$29,050 |
| Traveler Accommodation |
523,490 |
25.49 |
$15.34 |
$31,900 |
| Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) |
393,220 |
13.51 |
$13.25 |
$27,560 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
358,000 |
4.16 |
$13.31 |
$27,670 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places |
9,728,540 |
89.94 |
$12.46 |
$25,910 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
339,700 |
85.35 |
$12.86 |
$26,760 |
| Special Food Services |
589,260 |
80.24 |
$13.97 |
$29,050 |
| Rooming and Boarding Houses |
3,830 |
32.80 |
$13.05 |
$27,150 |
| Traveler Accommodation |
523,490 |
25.49 |
$15.34 |
$31,900 |
Top paying industries for this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services |
40 |
0.01 |
$20.49 |
$42,630 |
| Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation |
810 |
2.09 |
$20.37 |
$42,370 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) |
12,310 |
0.61 |
$20.14 |
$41,890 |
| Office Administrative Services |
(8) |
(8) |
$20.03 |
$41,660 |
| Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers |
70 |
0.02 |
$19.60 |
$40,760 |
Geographic profile for this occupation:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
1,627,490 |
93.63 |
1.02 |
$14.77 |
$30,720 |
| Texas |
1,175,750 |
94.58 |
1.03 |
$11.47 |
$23,860 |
| Florida |
950,180 |
108.05 |
1.18 |
$12.50 |
$26,000 |
| New York |
768,040 |
80.65 |
0.88 |
$16.00 |
$33,290 |
| Illinois |
516,360 |
85.69 |
0.93 |
$12.22 |
$25,420 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Nevada |
189,200 |
135.85 |
1.48 |
$12.95 |
$26,940 |
| Hawaii |
85,430 |
134.42 |
1.46 |
$19.08 |
$39,690 |
| Montana |
51,620 |
110.31 |
1.20 |
$11.86 |
$24,670 |
| Florida |
950,180 |
108.05 |
1.18 |
$12.50 |
$26,000 |
| South Carolina |
216,890 |
102.90 |
1.12 |
$10.87 |
$22,610 |
Top paying States for this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Hawaii |
85,430 |
134.42 |
1.46 |
$19.08 |
$39,690 |
| District of Columbia |
60,300 |
83.34 |
0.91 |
$18.92 |
$39,350 |
| Washington |
299,950 |
90.39 |
0.98 |
$16.33 |
$33,970 |
| New York |
768,040 |
80.65 |
0.88 |
$16.00 |
$33,290 |
| Massachusetts |
312,680 |
86.39 |
0.94 |
$15.54 |
$32,320 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| 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 |
734,600 |
76.08 |
0.83 |
$15.94 |
$33,150 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
592,710 |
94.99 |
1.03 |
$14.36 |
$29,860 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
395,060 |
84.48 |
0.92 |
$12.49 |
$25,980 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
323,080 |
88.35 |
0.96 |
$11.43 |
$23,770 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
280,000 |
91.74 |
1.00 |
$11.76 |
$24,470 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
258,500 |
97.83 |
1.06 |
$12.66 |
$26,340 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
256,020 |
80.53 |
0.88 |
$14.63 |
$30,420 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
249,650 |
90.99 |
0.99 |
$11.19 |
$23,270 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
237,690 |
82.63 |
0.90 |
$12.89 |
$26,800 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
231,990 |
82.91 |
0.90 |
$15.63 |
$32,500 |
United States Department of Labor
