Food Service Managers Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 11-9051 · National · May 2024 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$65,312
$31.40/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated Apr 3, 2025
Source: BLS OEWS · Published Apr 2, 2025
Next refresh: May 15, 2026
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The national median salary for Food Service Managers is $65,312 per year ($31.40/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $53,082 and $82,306 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $105,414 per year. There are approximately 244,230 food service managers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities of an organization or department that serves food and beverages.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+6.4%
Faster than average
Annual openings
42K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
353K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
5% from new growth95% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
Less than 5 years
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Restaurants and Other Eating Places
NAICS 722500
176K
$62,490
Special Food Services
NAICS 722300
16K
$77,400
Traveler Accommodation
NAICS 721100
12K
$79,290
Management of Companies and Enterprises
NAICS 551100
8K
$84,990
Elementary and Secondary Schools
NAICS 611100
5K
$75,930
Wage range across top 5 industries: $62,490 to $84,990 (36% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$20.37
$42,370
P25
$25.52
$53,082
P50MEDIAN
$31.40
$65,312
P75
$39.57
$82,306
P90
$50.68
$105,414
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
3.4%
Quits Rate
2.0%
The labor market rebounded in March: hires jumped to 5.6M (+655K) and separations rose to 5.4M (+356K), both more than offsetting February's drop. Job openings held at 6.9M. Quits ticked to 2.0%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average food service managers salary?
The national median salary for Food Service Managers is $65,312 per year ($31.40/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $53,082 and $82,306 annually.
How much do top-earning food service managers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Food Service Managers is $105,414 per year ($50.68/hr). The 75th percentile is $82,306 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for food service managers?
Entry-level Food Service Managers (10th percentile) earn approximately $42,370 per year ($20.37/hr). The 25th percentile is $53,082 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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