Highest-Paying Crew Member Jobs [2023]

Research Summary. Using a combination of public government and company data as well as data gathered from thousands of job postings, the Zippia data team has created average salary estimates for jobs across the US. Using that data set, the team has identified the types of crew members that are the highest paid based on their average annual salaries.

Here is a summary of our findings for the highest-paying types of crew members:

• Crew Trainer is the highest-paid type of crew member with an average salary of $53,128 and an average hourly rate of $25.54.

• The second highest-paying type of crew member is associate food scientist, with an average salary of $43,865.

• The average crew member salary is $28,946 per year, and the average hourly pay is $13.92.

Table Of Contents: Background | Table | Methodology | FAQs

Background

Choosing a career path can be difficult, and while pay shouldn’t be the only thing you consider in your decision, it is a significant factor. So if you’d like to work as a crew member, it helps to have an idea of what the highest-paid types of crew members are so that you can plan your career progression.

Here are the top salaries for different types of crew members:

1. Crew Trainer

   Average Salary: $53,128

   A crew trainer is responsible for training new staff with the overall tasks to ensure the success of daily operations. Crew trainers’ duties include serving customers efficiently, assisting customers with their needs and special requests, facilitating the distribution of tasks, monitoring staff performance, managing orders, and adhering to the sanitation standards and safety procedures. A crew trainer must have excellent time-management and leadership skills, as well as the ability to multi-task to perform various tasks with accuracy and efficiency.

2. Associate Food Scientist

   Average Salary: $43,865

   An associate food scientist is primarily responsible for developing new recipes for a company, ensuring quality and marketability. They are also responsible for improving existing recipes, performing support tasks for a head scientist, conducting market research and analysis, monitoring the progress of projects, and maintaining all recipes’ data and records, including nutrition value and ingredients. Furthermore, there are instances when an associate food scientist must manage the packaging and storing processes of food, ensuring consumers’ health and safety.

3. Lead Crew Member

   Average Salary: $32,857

   A lead crew member is responsible for supervising crew members during their tasks, ensuring that they provide the highest customer service to ensure customer satisfaction that would boost the business’ reputation, generate revenues, and increase profitability. Lead crew members assist the team on food handling procedures for safe consumption, as well as reiterating the sanitary and hygienic standards during operations. A lead crew member must have excellent time-management and the ability to multitask, especially on serving customers on high volume days while performing administrative and clerical tasks as needed.

4. Food Handler

   Average Salary: $32,581

5. Fast Food Cashier

   Average Salary: $31,913

Below is a full table of the average pay for various crew member that pay the most followed by a more detailed explanation of our methodology.

Highest-Paying Types Of Crew Members

Methodology

Zippia uses publicly published information from government sources such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Foreign Labor Certification Data Center (FLC), and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to create its salary estimates.

Our data science team also checks job postings and company-published resources for additional up-to-date salary information for crew members.

Once they’ve gathered the data, the team calculates a weighted average for each job title they’re estimating a salary for. For more details on our salary estimates, you can read the detailed methodology.

Highest-Paying Types Of Crew Member Jobs FAQs

1. What is the highest-paid crew member job?

   The highest-paid crew member job is a crew trainer. Crew Trainers earn an average salary of $53,128, which is $ 25.54 hourly.

   A crew trainer is responsible for training new staff with the overall tasks to ensure the success of daily operations. Crew trainers’ duties include serving customers efficiently, assisting customers with their needs and special requests, facilitating the distribution of tasks, monitoring staff performance, managing orders, and adhering to the sanitation standards and safety procedures. A crew trainer must have excellent time-management and leadership skills, as well as the ability to multi-task to perform various tasks with accuracy and efficiency.

2. What is a good salary for a crew member?

   A good salary for a crew member is $28,946 or more. The average crew member salary is $28,946, so those making at least $28,946 are earning above-average paychecks.

   Keep in mind, however, that the average crew member salary does fluctuate based on location, as companies will adjust their pay scales based on the cost of living in that area. Research what the average salary is in your area for someone of your expertise and experience level to get a more accurate view on how well you’re being paid.

   In addition, if you’re just starting your career as a crew member, the average entry level salary is $0, so don’t base your opinion of your salary on the $28,946 average, as this includes all crew members of all skill and experience levels.

3. Do Crew Member jobs pay well?

   No, crew member jobs don’t pay well. As in any industry, some crew member jobs pay better than others, but the average crew member salary of $28,946 is times the average national salary of about $44,225 per year.

   In addition to this, many crew member jobs have high earning potential, with the top 10% of crew members earning $0 a year on average.

   Crew Members’ salaries will fluctuate based on their experience level, industry, and location, so pay attention to these factors when you’re looking for a job as a crew member. Do your research on the going rate for a crew member in your area with your expertise, and don’t be afraid to negotiate your salary based on that information.

4. Where do crew members get paid the most?

   Crew Members get paid the most in North Dakota. In North Dakota, crew members earn an average annual salary of $33,808 and an average hourly wage of $16.25.

   Following ND, the states with the highest-paid crew members are Minnesota, Washington, and Alaska, with average annual salaries of $32,677, $34,798, and $39,335 respectively.

   The cities with the highest-paid crew member salaries are:

   1. Seattle, WA – $34,968

   2. Lawrence, NJ – $34,071

   3. Lawrence, MA – $33,149

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.