Pay, demand and where this field concentrates.
low → high: location quotient
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By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Food Preparation and Serving Related occupations employ 13,680,750 people in the US with a median pay of $35,050 a year. BLS projects 4.4% growth to 2035 and about 2,429,100 openings a year.
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Median pay ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 3,854,050 | $31,200 | $22,840 | $42,650 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 2,270,910 | $35,230 | $18,100 | $64,720 |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 1,409,890 | $37,390 | $28,700 | $47,900 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | 1,223,240 | $44,080 | $29,940 | $65,570 |
| Food Preparation Workers | 893,600 | $35,320 | $25,810 | $45,340 |
| Bartenders | 756,390 | $34,340 | $20,110 | $73,770 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 641,070 | $30,890 | $22,580 | $42,910 |
| Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | 542,750 | $33,980 | $21,300 | $46,570 |
| Dishwashers | 477,450 | $34,810 | $26,200 | $42,860 |
| Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | 441,050 | $37,450 | $28,480 | $49,670 |
| Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | 432,690 | $31,200 | $22,340 | $43,990 |
| Food Servers, Nonrestaurant | 293,900 | $35,360 | $28,030 | $46,120 |
| Chefs and Head Cooks | 200,040 | $62,470 | $37,900 | $98,560 |
| Cooks, Short Order | 138,650 | $35,880 | $23,440 | $46,460 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other | 84,630 | $35,840 | $25,470 | $47,550 |
| Cooks, All Other | 19,350 | $37,690 | $27,040 | $51,140 |
| Cooks, Private Household | 1,100 | $47,940 | $36,090 | $91,130 |
Office and Administrative Support · Transportation and Material Moving · Sales and Related · Management · Business and Financial Operations · Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · Educational Instruction and Library · Production · Healthcare Support · Construction and Extraction · Installation, Maintenance, and Repair · Computer and Mathematical · Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance · Protective Service · Personal Care and Service · Community and Social Service · Architecture and Engineering · Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media · Life, Physical, and Social Science · Legal · Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
| State ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 184,640 | 0.99 | $27,780 | -21% |
| Alaska | 27,600 | 0.96 | $35,600 | +2% |
| Arizona | 281,710 | 0.99 | $36,190 | +3% |
| Arkansas | 111,930 | 0.98 | $27,600 | -21% |
| California | 1,622,960 | 1.01 | $40,250 | +15% |
| Colorado | 269,820 | 1.07 | $37,810 | +8% |
| Connecticut | 139,020 | 0.93 | $36,610 | +4% |
| Delaware | 45,960 | 1.08 | $35,720 | +2% |
| District of Columbia | 56,970 | 0.92 | $44,390 | +27% |
| Florida | 1,010,690 | 1.16 | $34,610 | -1% |
| Georgia | 437,650 | 1.02 | $28,810 | -18% |
| Hawaii | 82,670 | 1.50 | $39,480 | +13% |
| Idaho | 73,910 | 0.98 | $30,180 | -14% |
| Illinois | 494,610 | 0.92 | $34,260 | -2% |
| Indiana | 274,710 | 0.98 | $29,460 | -16% |
| Iowa | 135,030 | 0.98 | $29,620 | -15% |
| Kansas | 123,860 | 0.98 | $29,270 | -16% |
| Kentucky | 175,720 | 1.00 | $28,620 | -18% |
| Louisiana | 186,890 | 1.10 | $23,400 | -33% |
| Maine | 55,140 | 0.98 | $37,040 | +6% |
| Maryland | 213,130 | 0.88 | $36,050 | +3% |
| Massachusetts | 292,980 | 0.92 | $37,300 | +6% |
| Michigan | 360,300 | 0.93 | $33,570 | -4% |
| Minnesota | 242,430 | 0.93 | $33,860 | -3% |
| Mississippi | 109,560 | 1.07 | $24,280 | -31% |
| Missouri | 255,150 | 0.99 | $31,080 | -11% |
| Montana | 53,110 | 1.18 | $30,580 | -13% |
| Nebraska | 90,900 | 1.01 | $31,860 | -9% |
| Nevada | 204,340 | 1.50 | $34,020 | -3% |
| New Hampshire | 57,550 | 0.96 | $36,490 | +4% |
| New Jersey | 316,810 | 0.84 | $36,480 | +4% |
| New Mexico | 82,180 | 1.07 | $30,630 | -13% |
| New York | 729,100 | 0.86 | $37,850 | +8% |
| North Carolina | 452,410 | 1.04 | $29,820 | -15% |
| North Dakota | 35,690 | 0.94 | $34,040 | -3% |
| Ohio | 494,660 | 1.01 | $30,300 | -14% |
| Oklahoma | 167,030 | 1.11 | $27,110 | -23% |
| Oregon | 182,760 | 1.06 | $37,670 | +7% |
| Pennsylvania | 489,850 | 0.92 | $30,770 | -12% |
| Rhode Island | 52,230 | 1.18 | $34,960 | -0% |
| South Carolina | 229,540 | 1.13 | $28,640 | -18% |
| South Dakota | 45,220 | 1.12 | $30,060 | -14% |
| Tennessee | 301,640 | 1.05 | $29,310 | -16% |
| Texas | 1,299,230 | 1.05 | $28,600 | -18% |
| Utah | 136,090 | 0.89 | $30,890 | -12% |
| Vermont | 26,300 | 0.98 | $38,210 | +9% |
| Virginia | 339,730 | 0.94 | $35,110 | +0% |
| Washington | 294,700 | 0.94 | $44,590 | +27% |
| West Virginia | 60,770 | 0.98 | $27,680 | -21% |
| Wisconsin | 248,100 | 0.96 | $30,160 | -14% |
| Wyoming | 25,760 | 1.04 | $29,490 | -16% |
Highest median pay among metropolitan areas with at least 5,000 jobs in this field.
| Metropolitan area ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Median pay ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | 12,570 | $49,150 | 1.94 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 167,040 | $46,480 | 0.91 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 82,810 | $44,870 | 0.83 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 195,610 | $44,040 | 0.94 |
| Vallejo, CA | 13,520 | $43,590 | 1.07 |
| Bellingham, WA | 8,900 | $43,290 | 1.11 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | 9,210 | $43,290 | 1.12 |
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | 5,500 | $42,920 | 1.22 |
| Napa, CA | 10,010 | $42,530 | 1.46 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | 21,530 | $41,860 | 1.19 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 90,900 | $41,660 | 0.96 |
| Modesto, CA | 18,400 | $40,580 | 1.07 |
| Salinas, CA | 18,270 | $40,340 | 1.11 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 11,210 | $40,020 | 1.29 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 170,120 | $39,790 | 1.13 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 22,860 | $39,220 | 1.29 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | 10,070 | $39,210 | 0.95 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 107,090 | $39,080 | 1.01 |
| Boulder, CO | 17,400 | $39,000 | 1.03 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | 21,960 | $38,970 | 0.86 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | 10,830 | $38,880 | 0.95 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | 10,250 | $38,870 | 0.89 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 161,910 | $38,840 | 1.20 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 140,720 | $38,710 | 0.99 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 32,730 | $38,680 | 1.15 |
| Merced, CA | 6,490 | $38,560 | 0.93 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 588,660 | $38,460 | 1.07 |
| Bend, OR | 12,170 | $38,410 | 1.28 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | 15,330 | $38,210 | 1.43 |
| Portland-South Portland, ME | 26,880 | $38,170 | 1.06 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 26,570 | $38,160 | 0.89 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 697,700 | $38,160 | 0.84 |
| Fresno, CA | 38,000 | $38,110 | 0.91 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | 13,020 | $38,080 | 1.57 |
| Visalia, CA | 13,540 | $37,880 | 0.90 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 252,790 | $37,860 | 0.92 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 216,600 | $37,780 | 0.91 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | 22,220 | $37,770 | 0.99 |
| Chico, CA | 7,910 | $37,600 | 1.15 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | 35,790 | $37,590 | 1.01 |
The median is $35,050 a year across the field (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
13,680,750 in May 2025.