Food & Hospitality salaries
Food preparation and serving careers cover chefs, cooks, bartenders, servers, and the supervisors who run kitchens and dining rooms.
Below are all 15 food & hospitality occupations the BLS tracks, ranked by median annual pay for May 2024. The best paid, chefs and head cooks, earns a median of $60,990 a year.
| # | Job | Median annual | Hourly | Typical education | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chefs and Head Cooks | $60,990 | $29.32 | High school diploma or equivalent | 182,320 |
| 2 | Cooks, Private Household | $44,530 | $21.41 | Postsecondary nondegree award | 900 |
| 3 | First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $42,010 | $20.20 | High school diploma or equivalent | 1,187,460 |
| 4 | Cooks, Restaurant | $36,830 | $17.71 | No formal educational credential | 1,452,130 |
| 5 | Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | $36,450 | $17.53 | No formal educational credential | 448,260 |
| 6 | Cooks, Short Order | $35,620 | $17.12 | No formal educational credential | 150,420 |
| 7 | Food Servers, Nonrestaurant | $34,460 | $16.57 | No formal educational credential | 271,780 |
| 8 | Food Preparation Workers | $34,220 | $16.45 | No formal educational credential | 888,770 |
| 9 | Waiters and Waitresses | $33,760 | $16.23 | No formal educational credential | 2,302,690 |
| 10 | Dishwashers | $33,670 | $16.19 | No formal educational credential | 471,670 |
| 11 | Bartenders | $33,530 | $16.12 | No formal educational credential | 745,610 |
| 12 | Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | $32,670 | $15.71 | No formal educational credential | 522,010 |
| 13 | Fast Food and Counter Workers | $30,480 | $14.65 | No formal educational credential | 3,780,930 |
| 14 | Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | $30,380 | $14.61 | No formal educational credential | 427,150 |
| 15 | Cooks, Fast Food | $30,160 | $14.50 | No formal educational credential | 668,230 |
Ranked by median annual wage. National estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2024.
Food & Hospitality salary FAQ
What is the highest paying food & hospitality job?
Chefs and Head Cooks top the food & hospitality field at a median of $60,990 a year, based on BLS data for May 2024.
How much do food & hospitality jobs pay on average?
Pay varies widely across the 15 occupations in this field. The middle of the list, food preparation workers, sits at a median of $34,220 a year. The overall U.S. median across all jobs is $49,500.
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Source. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024. Figures shown as published, last
updated 2025-04-02.