occupation · 35-0000 · major
Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations — wages and employment
Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations earned a median annual wage of $34,130 in the United States in May 2024, with 13,613,490 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations earned a median annual wage of $34,130 in the United States in May 2024, with 13,613,490 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $22,720 or less, the best-paid tenth $49,230 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $32,240 to $34,130, +5.9 %. The best-paying state is District of Columbia at $42,960; the lowest Puerto Rico at $21,340. Among metropolitan areas, Kahului-Wailuku, HI pays the highest median, $46,630. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 13,613,490 | $34,130 | $36,020 | $22,720 | $28,160 | $38,770 | $49,230 | $16.41 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 13,247,870 | $32,240 | $34,490 | $22,160 | $27,350 | $37,280 | $47,390 | $15.50 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $42,960 | 55,610 |
| Washington | $41,330 | 295,060 |
| Vermont | $38,450 | 25,130 |
| Hawaii | $37,640 | 82,980 |
| California | $37,540 | 1,619,960 |
| New York | $36,990 | 726,630 |
| Colorado | $36,880 | 273,300 |
| Massachusetts | $36,780 | 286,900 |
| Maine | $36,340 | 55,280 |
| Alaska | $36,150 | 27,400 |
| New Jersey | $36,130 | 308,280 |
| New Hampshire | $35,650 | 58,080 |
| Oregon | $35,600 | 177,790 |
| Connecticut | $35,480 | 133,480 |
| Arizona | $35,330 | 290,590 |
| Rhode Island | $35,240 | 50,040 |
| Maryland | $34,900 | 209,380 |
| Delaware | $34,200 | 45,430 |
| Virginia | $33,710 | 340,370 |
| Minnesota | $32,830 | 240,830 |
| Illinois | $32,690 | 509,350 |
| Nevada | $31,590 | 200,870 |
| North Dakota | $31,270 | 35,930 |
| Florida | $31,140 | 1,003,910 |
| Michigan | $31,100 | 366,130 |
| Nebraska | $30,980 | 88,610 |
| Utah | $30,350 | 132,960 |
| Pennsylvania | $30,030 | 487,370 |
| Montana | $29,960 | 54,660 |
| New Mexico | $29,860 | 82,390 |
| Virgin Islands | $29,820 | 4,300 |
| Wisconsin | $29,820 | 247,730 |
| Missouri | $29,820 | 257,610 |
| Wyoming | $29,820 | 25,340 |
| South Dakota | $29,800 | 43,340 |
| Idaho | $29,560 | 73,240 |
| Ohio | $29,510 | 495,370 |
| Iowa | $29,490 | 131,140 |
| Tennessee | $29,290 | 301,410 |
| Indiana | $29,120 | 281,260 |
| North Carolina | $29,050 | 447,410 |
| Georgia | $28,770 | 435,750 |
| Kansas | $28,680 | 123,480 |
| Texas | $28,440 | 1,277,790 |
| South Carolina | $27,870 | 225,620 |
| Kentucky | $27,840 | 173,200 |
| West Virginia | $27,380 | 61,380 |
| Arkansas | $27,320 | 110,230 |
| Alabama | $26,950 | 178,360 |
| Oklahoma | $26,690 | 165,960 |
| Louisiana | $23,570 | 183,500 |
| Mississippi | $23,250 | 110,820 |
| Guam | $21,960 | 7,090 |
| Puerto Rico | $21,340 | 78,190 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $46,630 | 11,980 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $44,690 | 167,660 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $43,570 | 80,610 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $42,100 | 194,680 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $39,530 | 4,840 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | $39,210 | 9,920 |
| Napa, CA | $39,030 | 10,210 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $39,000 | 9,450 |
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | $38,760 | 5,550 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $38,710 | 22,050 |
| Boulder, CO | $38,410 | 17,660 |
| Bellingham, WA | $38,320 | 9,120 |
| Vallejo, CA | $38,080 | 13,670 |
| Salinas, CA | $38,000 | 18,590 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $37,560 | 685,510 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $37,530 | 143,010 |
| Portland-South Portland, ME | $37,480 | 26,740 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $37,300 | 11,050 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $37,270 | 10,040 |
| Kingston, NY | $37,260 | 6,580 |
Occupations in this group
17 detailed occupations, largest first.
- Fast Food and Counter Workers 35-3023 · median $30,480 · 3,780,930 jobs
- Waiters and Waitresses 35-3031 · median $33,760 · 2,302,690 jobs
- Cooks, Restaurant 35-2014 · median $36,830 · 1,452,130 jobs
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers 35-1012 · median $42,010 · 1,187,460 jobs
- Food Preparation Workers 35-2021 · median $34,220 · 888,770 jobs
- Bartenders 35-3011 · median $33,530 · 745,610 jobs
- Cooks, Fast Food 35-2011 · median $30,160 · 668,230 jobs
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers 35-9011 · median $32,670 · 522,010 jobs
- Dishwashers 35-9021 · median $33,670 · 471,670 jobs
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria 35-2012 · median $36,450 · 448,260 jobs
- Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop 35-9031 · median $30,380 · 427,150 jobs
- Food Servers, Nonrestaurant 35-3041 · median $34,460 · 271,780 jobs
- Chefs and Head Cooks 35-1011 · median $60,990 · 182,320 jobs
- Cooks, Short Order 35-2015 · median $35,620 · 150,420 jobs
- Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other 35-9099 · median $34,830 · 89,580 jobs
- Cooks, All Other 35-2019 · median $36,210 · 23,590 jobs
- Cooks, Private Household 35-2013 · median $44,530 · 900 jobs
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