Best states for a food manager

Q: What is the best state for food managers?

The best state to be a food manager is New Jersey based on food manager salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for food managers?

The highest paying state for food managers is Tennessee based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for food managers?

The worst state for food managers is South Dakota, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for food managers in the United States. Food manager positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for food managers.We wanted to look at the best states for food managers -- where there are plenty of food manager jobs to go around and food managers get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.

New Jersey is the best state for jobs for food managers, and South Dakota is the worst. The most common pay in New Jersey is $50,554, while the median pay in South Dakota is $30,624.If you are currently seeking employment as a food manager, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for food managers in 2026

1. New Jersey
Total food manager jobs: 2,408
Average annual salary: $50,554
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000
Location Quotient:
0.95
Food manager jobs in New Jersey
2. Maine
Total food manager jobs: 398
Average annual salary: $47,871
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000
Location Quotient:
0.94
Food manager jobs in Maine
3. Connecticut
Total food manager jobs: 1,089
Average annual salary: $46,204
Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000
Location Quotient:
1.03
Food manager jobs in Connecticut
4. New York
Total food manager jobs: 3,734
Average annual salary: $49,565
Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000
Location Quotient:
0.91
Food manager jobs in New York
5. Indiana
Total food manager jobs: 2,424
Average annual salary: $39,876
Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $58,000
Location Quotient:
1.16
Food manager jobs in Indiana
6. Rhode Island
Total food manager jobs: 269
Average annual salary: $50,692
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000
Location Quotient:
0.69
Food manager jobs in Rhode Island
7. New Hampshire
Total food manager jobs: 420
Average annual salary: $49,684
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Location Quotient:
0.75
Food manager jobs in New Hampshire
8. Wisconsin
Total food manager jobs: 1,736
Average annual salary: $41,409
Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $60,000
Location Quotient:
0.99
Food manager jobs in Wisconsin
9. Illinois
Total food manager jobs: 4,056
Average annual salary: $41,700
Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $61,000
Location Quotient:
1.07
Food manager jobs in Illinois
10. Washington
Total food manager jobs: 2,418
Average annual salary: $43,151
Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $64,000
Location Quotient:
1.04
Food manager jobs in Washington

Food manager jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a food manager

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a food manager

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	New Jersey	$50,554	$30,000	9,005,644	2,408
2	Maine	$47,871	$30,000	1,335,907	398
3	Connecticut	$46,204	$27,000	3,588,184	1,089
4	New York	$49,565	$29,000	19,849,399	3,734
5	Indiana	$39,876	$27,000	6,666,818	2,424
6	Rhode Island	$50,692	$30,000	1,059,639	269
7	New Hampshire	$49,684	$30,000	1,342,795	420
8	Wisconsin	$41,409	$28,000	5,795,483	1,736
9	Illinois	$41,700	$28,000	12,802,023	4,056
10	Washington	$43,151	$29,000	7,405,743	2,418
11	Maryland	$43,294	$26,000	6,052,177	2,220
12	Massachusetts	$44,596	$27,000	6,859,819	2,817
13	West Virginia	$37,552	$24,000	1,815,857	569
14	Delaware	$43,287	$26,000	961,939	373
15	Virginia	$40,349	$25,000	8,470,020	3,237
16	Pennsylvania	$40,476	$24,000	12,805,537	3,543
17	Oregon	$43,711	$28,000	4,142,776	1,039
18	Alaska	$38,659	$28,000	739,795	284
19	Vermont	$44,106	$27,000	623,657	160
20	Nevada	$42,212	$27,000	2,998,039	477
21	Arizona	$38,964	$25,000	7,016,270	1,862
22	Michigan	$37,787	$24,000	9,962,311	2,561
23	California	$42,195	$26,000	39,536,653	9,167
24	District of Columbia	$46,339	$28,000	693,972	267
25	Wyoming	$34,310	$25,000	579,315	236
26	Alabama	$38,097	$25,000	4,874,747	1,217
27	North Carolina	$34,862	$22,000	10,273,419	4,011
28	Ohio	$36,458	$23,000	11,658,609	3,137
29	Iowa	$37,698	$26,000	3,145,711	905
30	Louisiana	$36,055	$23,000	4,684,333	964
31	Idaho	$36,196	$24,000	1,716,943	493
32	Kentucky	$33,453	$22,000	4,454,189	1,375
33	Hawaii	$41,279	$31,000	1,427,538	195
34	Texas	$34,731	$22,000	28,304,596	6,743
35	Mississippi	$35,201	$23,000	2,984,100	596
36	Georgia	$34,505	$23,000	10,429,379	3,496
37	Colorado	$36,729	$26,000	5,607,154	1,757
38	Utah	$33,933	$23,000	3,101,833	1,085
39	Missouri	$32,695	$23,000	6,113,532	2,170
40	Minnesota	$35,937	$25,000	5,576,606	1,835
41	South Carolina	$31,005	$20,000	5,024,369	1,782
42	New Mexico	$35,109	$23,000	2,088,070	526
43	North Dakota	$33,365	$24,000	755,393	254
44	Nebraska	$33,737	$24,000	1,920,076	489
45	Oklahoma	$33,014	$22,000	3,930,864	895
46	Tennessee	$28,798	$19,000	6,715,984	2,114
47	Florida	$32,099	$20,000	20,984,400	4,873
48	Kansas	$29,032	$20,000	2,913,123	1,003
49	Montana	$31,763	$23,000	1,050,493	331
50	Arkansas	$31,087	$21,000	3,004,279	764
51	South Dakota	$30,624	$22,000	869,666	253

Highest paying states for food managers

Rank	State	Avg. Food Manager Salary
1	New Jersey	$50,554
2	Maine	$47,871
3	Connecticut	$46,204
4	New York	$49,565
5	Indiana	$39,876
6	Rhode Island	$50,692
7	New Hampshire	$49,684
8	Wisconsin	$41,409
9	Illinois	$41,700
10	Washington	$43,151
11	Maryland	$43,294
12	Massachusetts	$44,596
13	West Virginia	$37,552
14	Delaware	$43,287
15	Virginia	$40,349
16	Pennsylvania	$40,476
17	Oregon	$43,711
18	Alaska	$38,659
19	Vermont	$44,106
20	Nevada	$42,212
21	Arizona	$38,964
22	Michigan	$37,787
23	California	$42,195
24	District of Columbia	$46,339
25	Wyoming	$34,310
26	Alabama	$38,097
27	North Carolina	$34,862
28	Ohio	$36,458
29	Iowa	$37,698
30	Louisiana	$36,055
31	Idaho	$36,196
32	Kentucky	$33,453
33	Hawaii	$41,279
34	Texas	$34,731
35	Mississippi	$35,201
36	Georgia	$34,505
37	Colorado	$36,729
38	Utah	$33,933
39	Missouri	$32,695
40	Minnesota	$35,937
41	South Carolina	$31,005
42	New Mexico	$35,109
43	North Dakota	$33,365
44	Nebraska	$33,737
45	Oklahoma	$33,014
46	Tennessee	$28,798
47	Florida	$32,099
48	Kansas	$29,032
49	Montana	$31,763
50	Arkansas	$31,087
51	South Dakota	$30,624

Best states for a food manager

10 best states for food managers in 2026

1. New Jersey

2. Maine

3. Connecticut

4. New York

5. Indiana

6. Rhode Island

7. New Hampshire

8. Wisconsin

9. Illinois

10. Washington

Food manager jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a food manager

Detailed list of the best states for a food manager

Highest paying states for food managers

Food manager best states FAQs

What is the best state for food managers?

What is the highest paying state for food managers?

What is the worst state for food managers?

Search for food manager jobs

Total food manager jobs:	2,408
Average annual salary:	$50,554
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$30,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$83,000
Location Quotient:	0.95