Best states for a food service attendant

Q: What is the best state for food service attendants?

The best state to be a food service attendant is Utah based on food service attendant salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for food service attendants?

The highest paying state for food service attendants is Louisiana based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for food service attendants?

The worst state for food service attendants is Louisiana, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 51

Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for food service attendants? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for food service attendant jobs.This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for food service attendant jobs.

To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for food service attendants.We found that Utah is the best state for food service attendant jobs, whereas Louisiana is the worst.

10 best states for food service attendants in 2025

1. Utah
Total food service attendant jobs: 590
Average annual salary: $30,948
Lowest 10 percent earn: $24,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Location Quotient:
1.09
Food service attendant jobs in Utah
2. Iowa
Total food service attendant jobs: 829
Average annual salary: $27,754
Lowest 10 percent earn: $22,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Location Quotient:
1.35
Food service attendant jobs in Iowa
3. New Hampshire
Total food service attendant jobs: 289
Average annual salary: $30,824
Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Location Quotient:
0.97
Food service attendant jobs in New Hampshire
4. Washington
Total food service attendant jobs: 1,251
Average annual salary: $30,627
Lowest 10 percent earn: $24,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Location Quotient:
1.01
Food service attendant jobs in Washington
5. Arizona
Total food service attendant jobs: 1,285
Average annual salary: $28,062
Lowest 10 percent earn: $21,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Location Quotient:
1.29
Food service attendant jobs in Arizona
6. Wisconsin
Total food service attendant jobs: 1,694
Average annual salary: $26,744
Lowest 10 percent earn: $21,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Location Quotient:
1.8
Food service attendant jobs in Wisconsin
7. Oregon
Total food service attendant jobs: 613
Average annual salary: $30,893
Lowest 10 percent earn: $24,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Location Quotient:
0.87
Food service attendant jobs in Oregon
8. Vermont
Total food service attendant jobs: 128
Average annual salary: $28,646
Lowest 10 percent earn: $24,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Location Quotient:
0.98
Food service attendant jobs in Vermont
9. Colorado
Total food service attendant jobs: 1,039
Average annual salary: $27,966
Lowest 10 percent earn: $22,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Location Quotient:
1.03
Food service attendant jobs in Colorado
10. New York
Total food service attendant jobs: 1,887
Average annual salary: $29,957
Lowest 10 percent earn: $23,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Location Quotient:
0.87
Food service attendant jobs in New York

Food service attendant jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a food service attendant

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

Detailed list of the best states for a food service attendant

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Utah	$30,948	$24,000	3,101,833	590
2	Iowa	$27,754	$22,000	3,145,711	829
3	New Hampshire	$30,824	$25,000	1,342,795	289
4	Washington	$30,627	$24,000	7,405,743	1,251
5	Arizona	$28,062	$21,000	7,016,270	1,285
6	Wisconsin	$26,744	$21,000	5,795,483	1,694
7	Oregon	$30,893	$24,000	4,142,776	613
8	Vermont	$28,646	$24,000	623,657	128
9	Colorado	$27,966	$22,000	5,607,154	1,039
10	New York	$29,957	$23,000	19,849,399	1,887
11	Idaho	$28,347	$22,000	1,716,943	213
12	Pennsylvania	$27,043	$21,000	12,805,537	1,723
13	Ohio	$26,241	$20,000	11,658,609	1,650
14	Tennessee	$24,824	$19,000	6,715,984	1,096
15	Rhode Island	$26,219	$21,000	1,059,639	188
16	Massachusetts	$28,234	$23,000	6,859,819	1,250
17	Nevada	$25,364	$20,000	2,998,039	347
18	Kansas	$25,750	$20,000	2,913,123	467
19	California	$29,073	$22,000	39,536,653	4,381
20	New Jersey	$25,895	$20,000	9,005,644	1,517
21	Connecticut	$26,708	$21,000	3,588,184	523
22	Minnesota	$25,333	$20,000	5,576,606	1,184
23	Wyoming	$23,932	$19,000	579,315	129
24	Missouri	$25,733	$20,000	6,113,532	897
25	Delaware	$26,436	$20,000	961,939	192
26	Maine	$24,663	$21,000	1,335,907	218
27	Michigan	$23,551	$18,000	9,962,311	1,475
28	New Mexico	$25,880	$20,000	2,088,070	230
29	Montana	$24,865	$20,000	1,050,493	186
30	North Dakota	$24,943	$20,000	755,393	111
31	South Carolina	$23,118	$18,000	5,024,369	889
32	Alabama	$23,118	$18,000	4,874,747	770
33	South Dakota	$23,634	$19,000	869,666	164
34	Alaska	$23,173	$20,000	739,795	197
35	Indiana	$23,475	$18,000	6,666,818	1,042
36	Arkansas	$23,895	$18,000	3,004,279	364
37	District of Columbia	$27,382	$21,000	693,972	94
38	Mississippi	$22,587	$17,000	2,984,100	381
39	Florida	$22,267	$17,000	20,984,400	3,595
40	Texas	$22,441	$17,000	28,304,596	3,749
41	Georgia	$23,007	$18,000	10,429,379	1,757
42	North Carolina	$22,408	$17,000	10,273,419	1,659
43	Hawaii	$26,107	$22,000	1,427,538	105
44	West Virginia	$21,582	$17,000	1,815,857	258
45	Virginia	$22,464	$17,000	8,470,020	1,641
46	Maryland	$23,677	$18,000	6,052,177	1,001
47	Kentucky	$21,784	$17,000	4,454,189	583
48	Oklahoma	$22,246	$17,000	3,930,864	449
49	Nebraska	$22,315	$17,000	1,920,076	254
50	Illinois	$21,562	$17,000	12,802,023	1,548
51	Louisiana	$21,116	$16,000	4,684,333	422

Highest paying states for food service attendants

Rank	State	Avg. Food Service Attendant Salary
1	Utah	$30,948
2	Iowa	$27,754
3	New Hampshire	$30,824
4	Washington	$30,627
5	Arizona	$28,062
6	Wisconsin	$26,744
7	Oregon	$30,893
8	Vermont	$28,646
9	Colorado	$27,966
10	New York	$29,957
11	Idaho	$28,347
12	Pennsylvania	$27,043
13	Ohio	$26,241
14	Tennessee	$24,824
15	Rhode Island	$26,219
16	Massachusetts	$28,234
17	Nevada	$25,364
18	Kansas	$25,750
19	California	$29,073
20	New Jersey	$25,895
21	Connecticut	$26,708
22	Minnesota	$25,333
23	Wyoming	$23,932
24	Missouri	$25,733
25	Delaware	$26,436
26	Maine	$24,663
27	Michigan	$23,551
28	New Mexico	$25,880
29	Montana	$24,865
30	North Dakota	$24,943
31	South Carolina	$23,118
32	Alabama	$23,118
33	South Dakota	$23,634
34	Alaska	$23,173
35	Indiana	$23,475
36	Arkansas	$23,895
37	District of Columbia	$27,382
38	Mississippi	$22,587
39	Florida	$22,267
40	Texas	$22,441
41	Georgia	$23,007
42	North Carolina	$22,408
43	Hawaii	$26,107
44	West Virginia	$21,582
45	Virginia	$22,464
46	Maryland	$23,677
47	Kentucky	$21,784
48	Oklahoma	$22,246
49	Nebraska	$22,315
50	Illinois	$21,562
51	Louisiana	$21,116

Food service attendant best states FAQs

What is the best state for food service attendants?

What is the highest paying state for food service attendants?

What is the worst state for food service attendants?

Have more questions? See all answers to common food preparation and restaurant questions.

Search for food service attendant jobs

Zippia Careers
Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Food Service Attendant
Best states for Food Service Attendants

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs

Total food service attendant jobs:	590
Average annual salary:	$30,948
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$24,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$38,000
Location Quotient:	1.09

Best states for a food service attendant

10 best states for food service attendants in 2025

1. Utah

2. Iowa

3. New Hampshire

4. Washington

5. Arizona

6. Wisconsin

7. Oregon

8. Vermont

9. Colorado

10. New York