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Dairy Queen salary estimate

$12.90hourly

$26,822 yearly

Entry-level salary
$19,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Dairy Queen Salary Overview

The average salary at Dairy Queen is approximately $26,822, reflecting the entry-level positions typically available. However, salaries can vary significantly based on location, department, and individual job roles. For instance, higher-paying positions include management roles, which often command salaries above the average. Additionally, Dairy Queen offers competitive hourly wages, with an average hourly rate of $12.90. Specific locations may provide even higher compensation, making it beneficial for applicants to research specific Dairy Queen branches.

How Salaries Vary by State

Average salaries also differ by state, with some states offering higher pay rates than others. Job seekers should consider both salary and cost of living when evaluating opportunities. Understanding these factors can help candidates align their expectations and career aspirations effectively.

Highest paying jobs at Dairy Queen

The highest paying jobs at Dairy Queen are supervisor, shift manager, customer service representative, and assistant manager. Supervisor jobs at Dairy Queen earn an average yearly salary of $30,673, Dairy Queen shift manager jobs average $30,481, and Dairy Queen customer service representative jobs average $30,201.

The lowest paying Dairy Queen roles include crew member and server and hostess. Dairy Queen crew member average salary is $23,956 per year. So while the average Dairy Queen salary is $26,822 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.

Highest paying jobs at Dairy Queen

RankJob titleAverage Dairy Queen salaryHourly rate
1Supervisor$30,673$14.75
2Shift Manager$30,481$14.65
3Customer Service Representative$30,201$14.52
4Assistant Manager$29,273$14.07
5Shift Leader$29,062$13.97
6Ice Cream Maker$28,999$13.94
7Team Leader$28,983$13.93
8Grill Cook$27,077$13.02
9Food Service Worker$25,943$12.47
10Sales Associate$25,942$12.47
11Cake Decorator$25,451$12.24
12Cook/Server$24,380$11.72
13Cashier$24,307$11.69
14Waitress$24,282$11.67
15Fast Food Worker$24,208$11.64
16Server And Hostess$24,144$11.61
17Crew Member$23,957$11.52

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Average Dairy Queen salary by state

Dairy Queen pays the highest salaries in Minnesota due to higher costs of living and competition in the state.

RankStateAverage Dairy Queen salaryHourly rate
1Minnesota$28,808$13.85
2Indiana$25,455$12.24
3Texas$25,428$12.23
4Kansas$24,694$11.87

How much does Dairy Queen pay by location?

The average Dairy Queen salary varies by location. Dairy Queen salaries are the highest in Middletown, CT, at $31,400 per year. Dairy Queen pays the second highest average salary in Allendale, NJ, at $30,933 per year. It's important to factor in the cost of living when negotiating a salary or choosing a place to work.

Highest paying Dairy Queen locations

RankLocationAverage Dairy Queen salaryHourly rate
1Middletown, CT$31,400$15.10
2Allendale, NJ$30,933$14.87
3Thornton, CO$29,550$14.21
4Bloomington, MN$28,759$13.83
5Grand Forks Air Force Base, ND$28,336$13.62
6Glasgow, MT$26,524$12.75
7Kalamazoo, MI$26,181$12.59
8Cleveland, OH$26,104$12.55
9Lincoln, NE$26,010$12.50
10Ferrum, VA$25,974$12.49
11West Jordan, UT$25,615$12.31
12Danville, IN$25,389$12.21
13Camdenton, MO$24,955$12.00
14Nags Head, NC$24,815$11.93
15Gardner, KS$24,716$11.88
16Fort Lauderdale, FL$24,550$11.80
17Stockbridge, GA$23,971$11.52
18Fayetteville, WV$23,880$11.48
19Minden, LA$23,261$11.18

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Dairy Queen salaries by department

Salaries at Dairy Queen vary depending on the department you work in. Dairy Queen salaries in the plant/manufacturing department are the highest with an average salary of $31,189. Employees in the customer service department at Dairy Queen receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $29,239 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at Dairy Queen include the retail and the hospitality/service organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $25,759 and $26,010, respectively.

Average Dairy Queen salary by department

RankDepartmentAverage Dairy Queen salaryHourly rate
1Plant/Manufacturing$31,189$14.99
2Customer Service$29,239$14.06
3Warehouse$28,901$13.89
4Sales$26,223$12.61
5Hospitality/Service$26,010$12.50
6Retail$25,759$12.38

How much does Dairy Queen pay by department?

Best paying Dairy Queen retail salaries

RankPositionAverage Dairy Queen salaryHourly rate
1Store Manager$36,895$17.74
2Shift Supervisor$30,070$14.46
3Assistant Manager$29,273$14.07
4Team Leader$28,983$13.93
5Cake Decorator$25,451$12.24
6Cashier$24,307$11.69

Best paying Dairy Queen hospitality/service salaries

RankPositionAverage Dairy Queen salaryHourly rate
1Assistant General Manager$43,703$21.01
2Kitchen Manager$37,910$18.23
3Crew Trainer$29,236$14.06
4Ice Cream Maker$28,999$13.94
5Kitchen Staff$27,990$13.46
6Cooker Cleaner$27,855$13.39
7Grill Cook$27,077$13.02
8Counter Attendant$27,021$12.99
9Food Service Worker$25,943$12.47
10Lead Crew Member$25,653$12.33
11Counter Helper$25,278$12.15
12Customer Service And Serving$25,060$12.05
13Cook/Server$24,380$11.72
14Waitress$24,282$11.67
15Fast Food Worker$24,208$11.64
16Server And Hostess$24,144$11.61
17Order Taker$24,106$11.59

Best paying Dairy Queen warehouse salaries

RankPositionAverage Dairy Queen salaryHourly rate
1Shift Lead Manager$30,746$14.78
2Shift Leader$29,062$13.97

Dairy Queen competitors’ average salaries

Average salaries at Dairy Queen competitors, like Chipotle Mexican Grill, Jack in the Box, and White Castle, vary. Chipotle Mexican Grill employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $32,507. The average salary at Jack in the Box is $30,716 per year, and the average salary at White Castle is $29,336 per year.

Highest paying Dairy Queen competitors

RankCompany nameZippia scoreAverage salary
1Chipotle Mexican Grill4.4$32,507
2Jack in the Box3.9$30,716
3White Castle4.5$29,336
4Pizza Hut4.1$28,541
5Dunkin' Donuts4.1$27,851
6Little Caesars4.3$27,793
7Five Guys4.4$27,630
8Bojangles4.1$27,396
9Chick-fil-A4.4$27,387
10Hardee's Food Systems Inc4.2$27,230
11Sonic Drive-In4.3$27,013
12Whataburger3.8$26,990
13Taco Bell4.2$26,941
14Arby's4.2$26,872
15Burger King4.5$26,543
16Firehouse Subs3.9$26,140
17Wendy's4.3$26,046
18Subway4.2$25,489
19KFC4.2$25,307
20McDonald's4.4$25,163

Recently added Dairy Queen salaries

JobLocationDate addedSalary
Franchise Business ConsultantDover, DE06/29/2025$92,800
Franchise Business ConsultantAnnapolis, MD06/29/2025$92,800
Purchasing ManagerBloomington, MN06/28/2025$102,987
Manager, Field Marketing (Individual Contributor)Nashville, TN06/27/2025$84,270
Franchise Business Consultant (Must BE Located In Posted Area)Brainerd, MN06/26/2025$92,800

What employees say about salary at Dairy Queen

Employee reviews
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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2024
Pros of working at Dairy Queen

Well, The benefits were fine, but i mostly did it for the free food But it is great because all the other workers are nicer and hard working and it's quite enjoyable to work here

Cons of working at Dairy Queen

Low salary and a bit of a pain i must admit

Dairy Queen benefits

I can't say

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4.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2024
Pros of working at Dairy Queen

The people were nice and the flexibility for hours was amazing

Cons of working at Dairy Queen

The people are lazy and don't want to work hard.

Dairy Queen benefits

My favorite benefit would be being able to get any day off from work

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1.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2023
Pros of working at Dairy Queen

I was allowed 50% off food while at work.

Cons of working at Dairy Queen

I disliked the owner of the franchise I worked for. He allowed me to get abused there and did nothing to help me.

Dairy Queen benefits

Being able to eat the blizzards that gor

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3.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2023
Pros of working at Dairy Queen

I like the people I work with

Cons of working at Dairy Queen

We don't get paid well enough and the owner does us wrong on alot of different things

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4.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2023
Pros of working at Dairy Queen

I enjoy the people who I get to work with and the enviroment.

Cons of working at Dairy Queen

I dislike the unpromissable breaks that we dont always recieve along with the low pay with no room for raises or growth.

Dairy Queen benefits

My favorite perk is the people I work with, my friends and my enviroment- I also enjoy making the Icecreams!

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4.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2022
Pros of working at Dairy Queen

Management is nice. So is some of the benefits

Cons of working at Dairy Queen

The miscommunications.

Dairy Queen benefits

Free food for your lunch

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3.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2022
Pros of working at Dairy Queen

I like working there because I've made friends with all my customers

Cons of working at Dairy Queen

I'm not getting paid enough

Dairy Queen benefits

My favorite part , I get to take my baby to school and pick her up. My schedule is flexible

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2.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2021
Pros of working at Dairy Queen

Friendliness of employees

Cons of working at Dairy Queen

How employees were treated by the general manager

Dairy Queen benefits

Discount for food

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3.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2021
Pros of working at Dairy Queen

Great experience I love taking care of costumers

Cons of working at Dairy Queen

I did not like working there due to Poor management.

Dairy Queen benefits

There was no perks or benefits.

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3.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2021
Pros of working at Dairy Queen

Talking to the customers.

Cons of working at Dairy Queen

I was working for more than they payed me.

Dairy Queen benefits

50% discount

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2.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2021
Pros of working at Dairy Queen

Some of the customers

Cons of working at Dairy Queen

Most of the coworkers and the pay rate

Dairy Queen benefits

From working there it would have to be honestly free food

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4.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2021
Pros of working at Dairy Queen

Flexible schedule. Fun employees

Cons of working at Dairy Queen

Lazy employees

Dairy Queen benefits

Didn’t necessarily like the food.

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2.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2021
Pros of working at Dairy Queen

1/2 off any meal for you or whole family

Cons of working at Dairy Queen

Not getting enough hours

Dairy Queen benefits

The food is good there

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3.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2021
Pros of working at Dairy Queen

I like the Adjustable hours

Cons of working at Dairy Queen

What I don’t like about working there is how hot a busy it can get

Dairy Queen benefits

Free food

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2.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2020
Pros of working at Dairy Queen

I made friends along the time of working there

Cons of working at Dairy Queen

Nothing looking for better opportunities

Dairy Queen benefits

There is none available to part timers

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2.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020
Pros of working at Dairy Queen

i like having people i get along with

Cons of working at Dairy Queen

i don't like my pay and the hours at my current job

Dairy Queen benefits

i don't have any perks or benefits

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4.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020
Pros of working at Dairy Queen

the people were kind

Cons of working at Dairy Queen

it became very busy and was expected to do manager jobs without being manager

Dairy Queen benefits

free food

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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2018
Pros of working at Dairy Queen

I liked that we had such a clean manager and we had high expectations for serving our customers. I met some wonderful life long friends, it was a very supportive staff and a friendly atmosphere. I enjoyed learning so many different methods of making desserts using various ingredients and I'm so happy I learned how to make a cherry coke there, now one of my favorite drinks. It was such a pleasant experience that even though I no long work there, I still enjoy eating at that particular Dairy Queen. Actually, I've worked for two DQ's with similar experiences, the first place prepared me for the next so no training needed. I don't frequent the second DQ as it is in another city from where I reside.

Cons of working at Dairy Queen

I wouldn't work there today because the pay isn't very well and there are essentially no benefits. Plus, we didn't get mandatory breaks which should be required when working a full shift and at a job requiring so much standing, moving and lifting. I didn't like that we didn't get free drinks or meals but it is a business. We also weren't allowed to eat unless we clocked out.

Dairy Queen benefits

I enjoyed that we could ask for a modification to our meal from another co-worker without hesitation and they would aim to make it just right. I also enjoyed the discount and also knowing my food was clean as we had high standards set forth by our manager.

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2.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2018
Pros of working at Dairy Queen

The actual job is stress free and the customers are mostly friendly.

Cons of working at Dairy Queen

Several of my coworkers are rude to me and our customers.

Dairy Queen benefits

Free food while working

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Frequently asked questions about Dairy Queen salaries

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Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Dairy Queen, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Dairy Queen. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Dairy Queen. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Dairy Queen. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Dairy Queen and its employees or that of Zippia.

Dairy Queen may also be known as or be related to Dairy Queen, International Dairy Queen Inc, International Dairy Queen Inc. and dairy queen.