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Food service director salary
Average food service director salary
$53,939
Understanding Food Service Director Salaries
The Food Service Director position is vital in managing food service operations across various sectors. As of October 2025, the average salary for this role is $53,939 annually. Salaries can vary significantly based on factors such as geographical location, years of experience, and the specific industry. For instance, professionals in healthcare facilities often earn more than those in educational settings.
According to recent data, states like California, New York, and Texas offer some of the highest salaries for Food Service Directors, reflecting the demand for skilled professionals in these regions. Additionally, those with advanced degrees or certifications can expect to command higher pay, particularly in high-stakes environments like hospitals and corporate dining services.
Career growth opportunities in this field include roles such as Regional Director or Food Service Consultant, which can lead to significantly increased earnings. Overall, the food service industry remains a promising area for job seekers, with ample prospects for advancement and higher salaries.
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Where can a Food Service Director earn more?
Food service director salary estimates from across the web
Average food service director salary by state
The average food service director salary in California, Massachusetts, and Alaska are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average food service director salary states are Nebraska, South Dakota, and Minnesota.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for food service directors
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $67,178 | $32.30 |
| 2 | Nevada | $64,536 | $31.03 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | $63,568 | $30.56 |
| 4 | Washington | $67,103 | $32.26 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $68,172 | $32.77 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $63,802 | $30.67 |
| 7 | California | $72,062 | $34.65 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $63,895 | $30.72 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $64,424 | $30.97 |
| 10 | Oregon | $64,384 | $30.95 |
| 11 | North Carolina | $53,838 | $25.88 |
| 12 | Arizona | $60,347 | $29.01 |
| 13 | Ohio | $52,668 | $25.32 |
| 14 | Mississippi | $51,309 | $24.67 |
| 15 | Maine | $54,980 | $26.43 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | $51,035 | $24.54 |
| 17 | Utah | $56,449 | $27.14 |
| 18 | Delaware | $60,418 | $29.05 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $60,886 | $29.27 |
| 20 | New York | $61,454 | $29.55 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $54,495 | $26.20 |
| 22 | West Virginia | $50,982 | $24.51 |
| 23 | Hawaii | $64,618 | $31.07 |
| 24 | Indiana | $50,760 | $24.40 |
| 25 | Vermont | $57,581 | $27.68 |
| 26 | Montana | $52,357 | $25.17 |
| 27 | Michigan | $49,675 | $23.88 |
| 28 | District of Columbia | $61,407 | $29.52 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $47,226 | $22.70 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $48,130 | $23.14 |
| 31 | Idaho | $52,151 | $25.07 |
| 32 | Maryland | $57,402 | $27.60 |
| 33 | Louisiana | $46,754 | $22.48 |
| 34 | Virginia | $50,887 | $24.46 |
| 35 | Texas | $46,694 | $22.45 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $45,123 | $21.69 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $44,561 | $21.42 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $43,228 | $20.78 |
| 39 | Alabama | $43,730 | $21.02 |
| 40 | Missouri | $47,364 | $22.77 |
| 41 | Iowa | $41,900 | $20.14 |
| 42 | Florida | $47,114 | $22.65 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $41,051 | $19.74 |
| 44 | Colorado | $49,639 | $23.86 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $40,009 | $19.24 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $45,671 | $21.96 |
| 47 | Minnesota | $40,924 | $19.68 |
| 48 | Georgia | $40,463 | $19.45 |
| 49 | Kansas | $37,834 | $18.19 |
| 50 | Illinois | $41,924 | $20.16 |
| 51 | Nebraska | $41,479 | $19.94 |
Highest paying cities for food service directors
The highest-paying cities for food service directors are San Francisco, CA, Boston, MA, and Federal Way, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $76,493 | $36.78 |
| 2 | Boston, MA | $68,198 | $32.79 |
| 3 | Federal Way, WA | $67,870 | $32.63 |
| 4 | Philadelphia, PA | $64,669 | $31.09 |
| 5 | Las Vegas, NV | $64,316 | $30.92 |
| 6 | Portland, OR | $63,746 | $30.65 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $61,751 | $29.69 |
| 8 | Washington, DC | $61,457 | $29.55 |
| 9 | Raleigh, NC | $55,196 | $26.54 |
| 10 | Richmond, IN | $51,489 | $24.75 |
| 11 | Richmond, VA | $50,505 | $24.28 |
| 12 | Boulder, CO | $49,648 | $23.87 |
| 13 | Boca Raton, FL | $48,373 | $23.26 |
| 14 | Columbia, MO | $47,304 | $22.74 |
| 15 | Columbia, TN | $46,987 | $22.59 |
| 16 | Austin, TX | $46,976 | $22.58 |
| 17 | Madison, WI | $44,465 | $21.38 |
| 18 | Chicago, IL | $42,163 | $20.27 |
| 19 | Lincoln, NE | $41,296 | $19.85 |
| 20 | Minneapolis, MN | $40,897 | $19.66 |
Food service director salary details
A food service director's salary ranges from $35,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $82,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a food service director's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
| 75th Percentile | $67,000 | $5,583 | $32 |
| Average | $53,939 | $4,495 | $26 |
| 25th Percentile | $43,000 | $3,583 | $21 |
| 10th Percentile | $35,000 | $2,917 | $17 |
Highest paying food service director jobs
The highest paying types of food service directors are service director, director, and director of food and beverage.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant Manager | $52,202 | $4,350 | $25.10 | 225,340 |
| Banquet Manager | $53,423 | $4,452 | $25.68 | 93,415 |
| Dietary Manager | $42,856 | $3,571 | $20.60 | 95,306 |
| Kitchen Manager | $50,448 | $4,204 | $24.25 | 151,781 |
| Shift Manager | $32,110 | $2,676 | $15.44 | 335,517 |
| Swing Manager | $38,427 | $3,202 | $18.47 | 203,761 |
Top companies hiring food service directors now:
Which companies pay food service directors the most?
Food service director salaries at Baptist Health Care and Kisco Senior Living are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average food service director salary at companies like East India Securities and University of California, Berkeley are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baptist Health Care | $101,422 | $48.76 |
| 2 | Kisco Senior Living | $88,678 | $42.63 |
| 3 | East India Securities | $85,280 | $41.00 |
| 4 | University of California-Berkeley | $82,645 | $39.73 |
| 5 | Yale University | $77,888 | $37.45 |
| 6 | Liberty Medical Center | $75,232 | $36.17 |
| 7 | Counterpart International | $72,925 | $35.06 |
| 8 | UC Merced | $72,323 | $34.77 |
| 9 | Era Living | $71,643 | $34.44 |
| 10 | ProMedica Toledo Hospital | $70,889 | $34.08 |
| 11 | Life Care Centers of America | $69,855 | $33.58 |
| 12 | NHC | $69,808 | $33.56 |
| 13 | Baptist Health Home Care | $67,602 | $32.50 |
| 14 | Advanced Recovery Systems | $67,178 | $32.30 |
| 15 | Senior Resource Group | $66,763 | $32.10 |
| 16 | Sunny Vista | $66,451 | $31.95 |
| 17 | The Culinary Institute of America | $66,280 | $31.87 |
| 18 | Maravilla Foundation | $66,145 | $31.80 |
| 19 | Erickson Senior Living | $66,110 | $31.78 |
| 20 | Guest Services | $65,850 | $31.66 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Food Service Director salary by industry
The average food service director salary varies across industries:
- The average food service director salary in the health care industry is $59,629, the highest of any industry.
- The average food service director salary in the finance industry is $54,114.
- Food service directors in the retail industry earn an average salary of $43,898, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for food service directors
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health Care | $59,629 | $28.67 |
| 2 | Hospitality | $54,114 | $26.02 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $51,337 | $24.68 |
| 4 | Retail | $43,898 | $21.10 |
High paying food service director jobs
Food service director salary trends
The average food service director salary has risen by $8,082 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average food service director earned $45,857 annually, but today, they earn $53,939 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for food service directors over the last decade.
Compare food service director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average food service director salary over time
Compare food service director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Food service director salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $53,900 | $25.93 | +2.2% |
| 2024 | $52,700 | $25.35 | +2.0% |
| 2023 | $51,700 | $24.86 | +4.1% |
| 2022 | $49,600 | $23.84 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $48,400 | $23.29 | +4.2% |
Recently added food service director salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Services Group, Inc. | Food Service Director | Saint Albans, VT | 06/29/2025 | $80,000 |
| Brightview Senior Living | Dining Service Director | Rockville, MD | 06/29/2025 | $74,000 |
| Brightview Senior Living | Dining Service DIR II | Herndon, VA | 06/29/2025 | $83,000 |
| Brightview Senior Living | Dining Services Director | Wakefield, MA | 06/29/2025 | $85,000 |
| Get It-Hospitality | Assistant Director of Dining Services-Remote | Nashville, TN | 06/29/2025 | $65,000 |
| Compass Group, North America | Director of Dining | Memphis, TN | 06/28/2025 | $90,000 |
| Compass Group, North America | Asst DIR, Dining Services at Univ of Pitt | Pittsburgh, PA | 06/28/2025 | $60,000 |
| Compass Group, North America | Director of Dining | Jackson, MS | 06/28/2025 | $90,000 |
| Elior North America | Food Service Director | New York, NY | 06/28/2025 | $100,000 |
| Life Care Services | Director of Dining Services | Leesburg, FL | 06/28/2025 | $95,000 |
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