SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Serve food to individuals outside of a restaurant environment, such as in hotel rooms, hospital rooms, residential care facilities, or cars. Excludes “Fast Food and Counter Workers” (35-3023) and “Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers” (41-9091).
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 35-3041.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $28,030 | $2,336 | $539 | $13.48 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $31,190 | $2,599 | $600 | $14.99 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $35,360 | $2,947 | $680 | $17.00 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $38,500 | $3,208 | $740 | $18.51 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $46,120 | $3,843 | $887 | $22.17 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant is $35,360, which is 31% lower. Among the 17 occupations of the field Food Preparation and Serving Related, it ranks number 9 by median pay. With 293,900 jobs, it makes up about 19 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Food Servers, Nonrestaurant pay by state
The highest median pay was in New York ($39,370), California ($39,010) and Colorado ($38,900). The lowest was in Puerto Rico ($21,840), Louisiana ($27,200) and Mississippi ($27,250). The most jobs were in California (32,430), Florida (19,240) and Illinois (17,560). The occupation is most concentrated in North Dakota, where its share of all jobs is 2.0 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 17,520 | $39,370 | $42,560 | $18.93 |
| California | 32,430 | $39,010 | $43,580 | $18.75 |
| Colorado | 7,750 | $38,900 | $40,920 | $18.70 |
| Washington | 8,050 | $38,870 | $42,000 | $18.69 |
| Alaska | 430 | $38,090 | $37,860 | $18.31 |
| District of Columbia | 1,260 | $37,920 | $41,460 | $18.23 |
| Hawaii | 880 | $37,920 | $45,670 | $18.23 |
| Maine | 540 | $37,680 | $38,530 | $18.11 |
| Vermont | 780 | $37,540 | $40,840 | $18.05 |
| North Dakota | 1,630 | $36,910 | $38,080 | $17.75 |
| Massachusetts | 5,830 | $36,750 | $38,520 | $17.67 |
| New Hampshire | 1,770 | $36,710 | $37,070 | $17.65 |
| Maryland | 6,600 | $36,650 | $37,060 | $17.62 |
| Oregon | 4,420 | $36,620 | $39,210 | $17.61 |
| New Jersey | 11,400 | $36,390 | $37,180 | $17.50 |
| Nevada | 1,820 | $36,030 | $38,240 | $17.32 |
| Minnesota | 11,090 | $36,000 | $37,010 | $17.31 |
| Connecticut | 5,050 | $35,950 | $37,550 | $17.29 |
| New Mexico | 670 | $35,740 | $36,310 | $17.19 |
| Arizona | 4,620 | $35,390 | $36,990 | $17.01 |
| Virginia | 7,420 | $35,090 | $35,590 | $16.87 |
| Illinois | 17,560 | $35,080 | $35,730 | $16.87 |
| Rhode Island | 1,020 | $34,860 | $36,150 | $16.76 |
| Wisconsin | 6,680 | $34,670 | $35,080 | $16.67 |
| Michigan | 7,700 | $34,260 | $33,930 | $16.47 |
| Idaho | 930 | $34,220 | $33,920 | $16.45 |
| Florida | 19,240 | $33,930 | $34,530 | $16.31 |
| Pennsylvania | 13,940 | $33,300 | $33,720 | $16.01 |
| Wyoming | 250 | $33,090 | $32,470 | $15.91 |
| Kentucky | 3,660 | $32,200 | $32,750 | $15.48 |
| Montana | 1,050 | $32,090 | $32,400 | $15.43 |
| South Dakota | 160 | $31,980 | $32,870 | $15.38 |
| Indiana | 3,900 | $31,840 | $32,400 | $15.31 |
| Missouri | 7,490 | $31,840 | $33,390 | $15.31 |
| South Carolina | 2,990 | $31,740 | $31,270 | $15.26 |
| Nebraska | 3,800 | $31,540 | $32,860 | $15.17 |
| Georgia | 4,970 | $31,530 | $33,270 | $15.16 |
| North Carolina | 8,820 | $31,460 | $33,150 | $15.13 |
| Delaware | 1,010 | $31,430 | $34,410 | $15.11 |
| Tennessee | 5,230 | $30,670 | $32,590 | $14.75 |
| Ohio | 15,320 | $30,440 | $32,470 | $14.63 |
| Utah | 2,430 | $30,170 | $31,930 | $14.51 |
| West Virginia | 460 | $30,170 | $30,410 | $14.51 |
| Iowa | 5,270 | $30,110 | $31,000 | $14.48 |
| Virgin Islands | not published | $29,760 | $41,940 | $14.31 |
| Texas | 14,340 | $29,300 | $29,950 | $14.09 |
| Kansas | 1,270 | $29,040 | $28,610 | $13.96 |
| Alabama | 2,920 | $29,000 | $29,110 | $13.94 |
| Oklahoma | 1,760 | $28,490 | $30,180 | $13.70 |
| Arkansas | 3,540 | $27,600 | $29,110 | $13.27 |
| Mississippi | 1,860 | $27,250 | $26,970 | $13.10 |
| Louisiana | 2,380 | $27,200 | $26,000 | $13.08 |
| Puerto Rico | 540 | $21,840 | $22,780 | $10.50 |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Cooks, Restaurant$37,390 a year
- Cooks, Short Order$35,880 a year
- Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other$35,840 a year
- Food Preparation Workers$35,320 a year
- Waiters and Waitresses$35,230 a year
- Dishwashers$34,810 a year
Common questions
How much do Food Servers, Nonrestaurant earn in the United States?
The median pay was $35,360 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $28,030 and the highest-paid 10% more than $46,120.
How many people work as Food Servers, Nonrestaurant?
About 293,900 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.