Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
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, All Other;
Cooks, Private Household;
Cooks, Short Order;
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria;
Cooks, Fast Food;
Cooks, Restaurant;
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) |
| 11,201,480 |
0.2 % |
$ 14.16 |
$ 29,450 |
0.4 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 8.89 |
$ 10.82 |
$ 13.65 |
$ 15.05 |
$ 18.90 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 18,480 |
$ 22,500 |
$ 28,400 |
$ 31,300 |
$ 39,320 |
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 |
8,292,350 |
87.92 |
$ 13.81 |
$ 28,720 |
| Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) |
377,530 |
12.77 |
$ 14.88 |
$ 30,940 |
| Special Food Services |
357,030 |
75.35 |
$ 15.76 |
$ 32,770 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
315,720 |
3.90 |
$ 14.63 |
$ 30,430 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
261,820 |
85.31 |
$ 14.16 |
$ 29,450 |
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 |
8,292,350 |
87.92 |
$ 13.81 |
$ 28,720 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
261,820 |
85.31 |
$ 14.16 |
$ 29,450 |
| Special Food Services |
357,030 |
75.35 |
$ 15.76 |
$ 32,770 |
| Rooming and Boarding Houses |
1,900 |
21.13 |
$ 15.78 |
$ 32,810 |
| Beverage Manufacturing |
58,610 |
20.89 |
$ 15.85 |
$ 32,960 |
Top paying industries for Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Radio and Television Broadcasting |
30 |
0.02 |
$ 39.44 |
$ 82,030 |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (4232, 4233, 4235, 4236, 4237, and 4239 only) |
50 |
(7) |
$ 31.34 |
$ 65,180 |
| Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation |
370 |
1.13 |
$ 25.83 |
$ 53,720 |
| Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing |
60 |
0.01 |
$ 25.33 |
$ 52,680 |
| Legal Services |
180 |
0.02 |
$ 24.15 |
$ 50,220 |
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 |
1,238,040 |
74.90 |
0.94 |
$ 17.10 |
$ 35,570 |
| Texas |
1,047,310 |
85.66 |
1.08 |
$ 12.48 |
$ 25,950 |
| Florida |
818,970 |
95.17 |
1.20 |
$ 13.68 |
$ 28,450 |
| New York |
546,790 |
63.07 |
0.79 |
$ 17.71 |
$ 36,830 |
| Ohio |
429,370 |
82.55 |
1.04 |
$ 12.63 |
$ 26,280 |
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 |
151,290 |
117.35 |
1.48 |
$ 13.15 |
$ 27,350 |
| Hawaii |
57,620 |
105.06 |
1.32 |
$ 17.41 |
$ 36,200 |
| Montana |
47,770 |
101.60 |
1.28 |
$ 12.67 |
$ 26,350 |
| Oklahoma |
153,020 |
98.23 |
1.24 |
$ 11.81 |
$ 24,550 |
| South Carolina |
196,760 |
95.18 |
1.20 |
$ 12.05 |
$ 25,070 |
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 |
32,260 |
48.73 |
0.61 |
$ 20.12 |
$ 41,840 |
| Washington |
244,570 |
76.29 |
0.96 |
$ 18.38 |
$ 38,230 |
| New York |
546,790 |
63.07 |
0.79 |
$ 17.71 |
$ 36,830 |
| Hawaii |
57,620 |
105.06 |
1.32 |
$ 17.41 |
$ 36,200 |
| Massachusetts |
235,130 |
69.27 |
0.87 |
$ 17.27 |
$ 35,910 |
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 |
508,810 |
58.63 |
0.74 |
$ 17.90 |
$ 37,220 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
448,780 |
78.46 |
0.99 |
$ 17.04 |
$ 35,430 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
298,600 |
70.54 |
0.89 |
$ 14.12 |
$ 29,360 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
292,540 |
81.51 |
1.03 |
$ 12.88 |
$ 26,790 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
249,470 |
86.11 |
1.08 |
$ 12.92 |
$ 26,880 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
211,820 |
81.85 |
1.03 |
$ 12.93 |
$ 26,890 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
208,490 |
85.01 |
1.07 |
$ 14.09 |
$ 29,300 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
197,140 |
67.22 |
0.85 |
$ 16.36 |
$ 34,030 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
180,530 |
68.00 |
0.86 |
$ 14.32 |
$ 29,780 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
172,150 |
81.33 |
1.02 |
$ 16.73 |
$ 34,790 |
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 |
27,800 |
171.33 |
2.15 |
$ 11.69 |
$ 24,300 |
| Ocean City, NJ |
6,600 |
169.00 |
2.13 |
$ 15.41 |
$ 32,060 |
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC |
11,710 |
156.44 |
1.97 |
$ 12.53 |
$ 26,050 |
| Flagstaff, AZ |
8,770 |
151.68 |
1.91 |
$ 16.89 |
$ 35,130 |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL |
11,160 |
150.00 |
1.89 |
$ 11.62 |
$ 24,170 |
| Jacksonville, NC |
7,160 |
148.85 |
1.87 |
$ 11.22 |
$ 23,340 |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL |
16,880 |
147.83 |
1.86 |
$ 13.98 |
$ 29,090 |
| Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI |
9,360 |
146.03 |
1.84 |
$ 19.43 |
$ 40,420 |
| Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL |
20,420 |
139.54 |
1.76 |
$ 15.32 |
$ 31,870 |
| Brunswick, GA |
5,590 |
138.05 |
1.74 |
$ 11.76 |
$ 24,460 |
United States Department of Labor
