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The national median salary for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant is $35,360 per year ($17.00/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $31,179 and $38,501 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $46,114 per year. There are approximately 293,900 food servers, nonrestaurant employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Serve food to individuals outside of a restaurant environment, such as in hotel rooms, hospital rooms, residential care facilities, or cars.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+3.0%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
48K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
277K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
2% from new growth98% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
No formal educational credential
Experience
None
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
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly
NAICS 623300
79K
$34,420
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)
NAICS 623100
60K
$34,540
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
NAICS 622100
45K
$38,770
Special Food Services
NAICS 722300
33K
$36,380
Traveler Accommodation
NAICS 721100
18K
$34,480
Wage range across top 5 industries: $34,420 to $38,770 (13% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$13.48
$28,038
P25
$14.99
$31,179
P50MEDIAN
$17.00
$35,360
P75
$18.51
$38,501
P90
$22.17
$46,114
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · retail sector
Active
Openings Rate
4.6%
Quits Rate
3.1%
Retail openings rose to 737K (+52K) in March, rate up to 4.6%. Hires increased to 684K (+73K). Frontline turnover persists with quit rate at 3.1%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average food servers, nonrestaurant salary?
The national median salary for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant is $35,360 per year ($17.00/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $31,179 and $38,501 annually.
How much do top-earning food servers, nonrestaurant make?
The 90th percentile salary for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant is $46,114 per year ($22.17/hr). The 75th percentile is $38,501 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for food servers, nonrestaurant?
Entry-level Food Servers, Nonrestaurant (10th percentile) earn approximately $28,038 per year ($13.48/hr). The 25th percentile is $31,179 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 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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