Food Preparation and Serving Jobs — US Salaries
17 occupations · about 13,680,760 US workers · top-paid Chefs and Head Cooks at $62,470 — BLS OEWS May 2025.
How much do food preparation and serving jobs pay in the US?
The Food Preparation and Serving field (SOC 35) covers 17 detailed US occupations employing about 13,680,760 people. Median pay across its 17 priced occupations runs from $30,890 to $62,470 a year, with Chefs and Head Cooks the highest-paid at $62,470 (BLS OEWS May 2025). The US all-occupations median is $50,980. Updated annually from BLS OEWS.
Occupations
17
in this field
US workers
13,680,760
total employment
Top median
$62,470
highest-paid job
Lowest median
$30,890
of priced jobs
Every food preparation and serving occupation, by median pay
| Occupation | Median | Mean | US workers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chefs and Head CooksSOC 35-1011 | $62,470 | $66,700 | 200,040 |
| Cooks, Private HouseholdSOC 35-2013 | $47,940 | $53,680 | 1,100 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving WorkersSOC 35-1012 | $44,080 | $46,180 | 1,223,240 |
| Cooks, All OtherSOC 35-2019 | $37,690 | $39,150 | 19,350 |
| Cooks, Institution and CafeteriaSOC 35-2012 | $37,450 | $38,810 | 441,050 |
| Cooks, RestaurantSOC 35-2014 | $37,390 | $38,730 | 1,409,890 |
| Cooks, Short OrderSOC 35-2015 | $35,880 | $36,120 | 138,650 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All OtherSOC 35-9099 | $35,840 | $36,810 | 84,630 |
| Food Servers, NonrestaurantSOC 35-3041 | $35,360 | $36,140 | 293,900 |
| Food Preparation WorkersSOC 35-2021 | $35,320 | $35,290 | 893,600 |
| Waiters and WaitressesSOC 35-3031 | $35,230 | $40,060 | 2,270,910 |
| DishwashersSOC 35-9021 | $34,810 | $34,310 | 477,450 |
| BartendersSOC 35-3011 | $34,340 | $40,790 | 756,390 |
| Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender HelpersSOC 35-9011 | $33,980 | $34,230 | 542,750 |
| Fast Food and Counter WorkersSOC 35-3023 | $31,200 | $32,150 | 3,854,050 |
| Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee ShopSOC 35-9031 | $31,200 | $32,690 | 432,690 |
| Cooks, Fast FoodSOC 35-2011 | $30,890 | $32,390 | 641,070 |
Suppressed BLS cells are shown as “—”, never estimated. Click any occupation for its full salary breakdown and national rank.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the highest-paying food preparation and serving job in the US?
- Among Food Preparation and Serving occupations, Chefs and Head Cooks have the highest published national median wage at $62,470 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025).
- How many people work in food preparation and serving jobs in the US?
- About 13,680,760 US workers are employed across the 17 occupations in the Food Preparation and Serving field (SOC 35), summing the published BLS OEWS May 2025 employment estimates for each member occupation.
- What jobs are in the food preparation and serving field?
- The Food Preparation and Serving field is SOC major group 35. It includes occupations such as Chefs and Head Cooks, Cooks, Private Household, First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Cooks, All Other, Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria, and 12 more. Every occupation whose 6-digit SOC code starts with 35 belongs to this field.
- Where does this food preparation and serving salary data come from?
- From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2025 national release — cross-industry, all-ownership estimates. As US federal government work it is public domain. GeraJobs publishes the figures verbatim; suppressed cells are shown as "—".
Compare other occupational fields
Find food preparation and serving jobs with salary ranges
GeraJobs lists live US vacancies with employer-stated salary ranges — see which food preparation and serving roles pay above the BLS benchmark.
Data source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) · May 2025 national estimates · SOC major group 35 · Public domain (U.S. federal government work)
Grouped by official US SOC 2018 major group and published verbatim by GeraJobs. Last updated: 2026-06-27. ← All occupational fields