Food & Hospitality salaries
Food preparation and serving careers cover chefs, cooks, bartenders, servers, and the supervisors who run kitchens and dining rooms.
Below are all 15 food & hospitality occupations the BLS tracks, ranked by median annual pay for May 2025. The best paid, chefs and head cooks, earns a median of $62,470 a year.
| # | Job | Median annual | Hourly | Typical education | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chefs and Head Cooks | $62,470 | $30.03 | High school diploma or equivalent | 200,040 |
| 2 | Cooks, Private Household | $47,940 | $23.05 | Postsecondary nondegree award | 1,100 |
| 3 | First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $44,080 | $21.19 | High school diploma or equivalent | 1,223,240 |
| 4 | Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | $37,450 | $18.01 | No formal educational credential | 441,050 |
| 5 | Cooks, Restaurant | $37,390 | $17.98 | No formal educational credential | 1,409,890 |
| 6 | Cooks, Short Order | $35,880 | $17.25 | No formal educational credential | 138,650 |
| 7 | Food Servers, Nonrestaurant | $35,360 | $17.00 | No formal educational credential | 293,900 |
| 8 | Food Preparation Workers | $35,320 | $16.98 | No formal educational credential | 893,600 |
| 9 | Waiters and Waitresses | $35,230 | $16.94 | No formal educational credential | 2,270,910 |
| 10 | Dishwashers | $34,810 | $16.73 | No formal educational credential | 477,450 |
| 11 | Bartenders | $34,340 | $16.51 | No formal educational credential | 756,390 |
| 12 | Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | $33,980 | $16.34 | No formal educational credential | 542,750 |
| 13 | Fast Food and Counter Workers | $31,200 | $15.00 | No formal educational credential | 3,854,050 |
| 14 | Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | $31,200 | $15.00 | No formal educational credential | 432,690 |
| 15 | Cooks, Fast Food | $30,890 | $14.85 | No formal educational credential | 641,070 |
Ranked by median annual wage. National estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025.
Food & Hospitality salary FAQ
What is the highest paying food & hospitality job?
Chefs and Head Cooks top the food & hospitality field at a median of $62,470 a year, based on BLS data for May 2025.
How much do food & hospitality jobs pay on average?
Pay varies widely across the 15 occupations in this field. The middle of the list, food preparation workers, sits at a median of $35,320 a year. The overall U.S. median across all jobs is $50,980.
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Source. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Figures shown as published, last
updated 2026-05-15.