Job outlook for food service workers in the United States

Food service worker job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

The projected food service worker job growth rate is 2% from 2018-2028.
About 17,700 new jobs for food service workers are projected over the next decade.
Food service worker salaries have increased 22% for food service workers in the last 5 years.
There are over 307,016 food service workers currently employed in the United States.
There are 169,323 active food service worker job openings in the US.
The average food service worker salary is $28,753.

Are food service worker jobs in demand?

Yes, food service worker jobs are in demand. Food service worker demand is projected to grow 2% from 2018 to 2028.

Food Service Worker job and salary trends over time

Compare the number of food service worker jobs and the average food service worker salary over time.

Food Service Worker jobs over time

Food Service Worker job growth rate over time

Year	# Of Jobs	% Of Population
2021	307,016	0.09%
2020	324,047	0.10%
2019	362,695	0.11%
2018	371,964	0.11%
2017	371,128	0.11%

Average food service worker salary over time

Food Service Worker salary by year

Year	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate	% Change
2025	$28,753	$13.82	+5.1%
2024	$27,353	$13.15	+4.5%
2023	$26,173	$12.58	+4.4%
2022	$25,070	$12.05	+6.0%
2021	$23,647	$11.37	+6.2%

Top food service worker jobs near you

Food Service Worker jobs by state

The map below shows you the number of food service worker job openings in each state. The darker areas on the map show where food service workers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Most common states for food service workers

Rank	State	Population	# of Jobs	Employment/ 1000ppl
1	New Hampshire	1,342,795	376	28%
2	South Dakota	869,666	226	26%
3	Nebraska	1,920,076	450	23%
4	Iowa	3,145,711	676	21%
5	Wisconsin	5,795,483	1,169	20%
6	South Carolina	5,024,369	983	20%
7	Utah	3,101,833	606	20%
8	Delaware	961,939	191	20%
9	North Carolina	10,273,419	1,930	19%
10	Virginia	8,470,020	1,581	19%
11	District of Columbia	693,972	131	19%
12	Georgia	10,429,379	1,850	18%
13	Washington	7,405,743	1,341	18%
14	Oregon	4,142,776	727	18%
15	New Mexico	2,088,070	369	18%
16	West Virginia	1,815,857	324	18%
17	Alaska	739,795	131	18%
18	Minnesota	5,576,606	963	17%
19	Colorado	5,607,154	932	17%
20	Connecticut	3,588,184	613	17%

Most common cities for food service workers

Rank	City	# of Jobs	Employment/ 1000ppl	Avg. Salary
1	West Lafayette	20	44%	$25,801
2	Auburn	14	22%	$18,923
3	Tuscaloosa	16	16%	$19,031
4	Boston	78	12%	$33,684
5	Birmingham	23	11%	$19,046
6	Orlando	24	9%	$23,880
7	New Orleans	26	7%	$19,280
8	Tampa	21	6%	$23,889
9	Atlanta	25	5%	$23,461
10	Miami	24	5%	$23,762
11	Indianapolis	31	4%	$25,566
12	Washington	26	4%	$34,541
13	Phoenix	26	2%	$28,989
14	San Francisco	16	2%	$34,497
15	Jacksonville	15	2%	$24,063
16	New York	57	1%	$33,433
17	Chicago	40	1%	$27,665
18	Los Angeles	24	1%	$34,377
19	San Diego	19	1%	$34,145

Food Service Worker Jobs

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