Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations

BLS SOC 35 · 17 occupations · OEWS May 2024

Cooks, chefs, bartenders, servers, and food preparation workers across restaurants, institutions, and food service.

Total Workforce

14M

workers in this field

Median Annual Pay

$34K

median across 17 roles

Avg Growth, 2024-34

+2.6%

BLS Projections 2024-34

Top Roles in Food Preparation and Serving

Top 25 by US employment

#	Occupation	Workforce	Median Pay	Growth
1	Fast Food and Counter Workers SOC 35-3023	3.8M	$30K	+6.1%
2	Waiters and Waitresses SOC 35-3031	2.3M	$34K	-0.7%
3	Cooks, Restaurant SOC 35-2014	1.5M	$37K	+14.9%
4	First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers SOC 35-1012	1.2M	$42K	+6.0%
5	Food Preparation Workers SOC 35-2021	889K	$34K	-3.4%
6	Bartenders SOC 35-3011	746K	$34K	+5.9%
7	Cooks, Fast Food SOC 35-2011	668K	$30K	-13.5%
8	Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers SOC 35-9011	522K	$33K	+6.3%
9	Dishwashers SOC 35-9021	472K	$34K	+0.2%
10	Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria SOC 35-2012	448K	$36K	+2.0%
11	Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop SOC 35-9031	427K	$30K	-1.5%
12	Food Servers, Nonrestaurant SOC 35-3041	272K	$34K	+3.0%
13	Chefs and Head Cooks SOC 35-1011	182K	$61K	+7.1%
14	Cooks, Short Order SOC 35-2015	150K	$36K	-5.6%
15	Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other SOC 35-9099	90K	$35K	+6.4%
16	Cooks, All Other SOC 35-2019	24K	$36K	+5.5%
17	Cooks, Private Household SOC 35-2013	900	$45K	+5.1%