Food Servers, Nonrestaurant Salaries by State
Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for food servers, nonrestaurants across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).
Job Outlook, 2024–2034
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.
Salary Map
Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.
💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States
- Hawaii$45,670
- California$43,580
- New York$42,560
- Washington$42,000
- District of Columbia$41,460
📉 5 Lowest-Paying States
- Louisiana$26,000
- Mississippi$26,970
- Kansas$28,610
- Arkansas$29,110
- Alabama$29,110
State Rankings
| # | State | Mean | Median | Hourly | vs. U.S. | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $45,670 | $37,920 | $22 | +26.4% | 880 |
| 2 | California | $43,580 | $39,010 | $21 | +20.6% | 32,430 |
| 3 | New York | $42,560 | $39,370 | $20 | +17.8% | 17,520 |
| 4 | Washington | $42,000 | $38,870 | $20 | +16.2% | 8,050 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $41,460 | $37,920 | $20 | +14.7% | 1,260 |
| 6 | Colorado | $40,920 | $38,900 | $20 | +13.2% | 7,750 |
| 7 | Vermont | $40,840 | $37,540 | $20 | +13% | 780 |
| 8 | Oregon | $39,210 | $36,620 | $19 | +8.5% | 4,420 |
| 9 | Maine | $38,530 | $37,680 | $19 | +6.6% | 540 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $38,520 | $36,750 | $19 | +6.6% | 5,830 |
| 11 | Nevada | $38,240 | $36,030 | $18 | +5.8% | 1,820 |
| 12 | North Dakota | $38,080 | $36,910 | $18 | +5.4% | 1,630 |
| 13 | Alaska | $37,860 | $38,090 | $18 | +4.8% | 430 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $37,550 | $35,950 | $18 | +3.9% | 5,050 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $37,180 | $36,390 | $18 | +2.9% | 11,400 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $37,070 | $36,710 | $18 | +2.6% | 1,770 |
| 17 | Maryland | $37,060 | $36,650 | $18 | +2.5% | 6,600 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $37,010 | $36,000 | $18 | +2.4% | 11,090 |
| 19 | Arizona | $36,990 | $35,390 | $18 | +2.4% | 4,620 |
| 20 | New Mexico | $36,310 | $35,740 | $17 | +0.5% | 670 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | $36,150 | $34,860 | $17 | +0% | 1,020 |
| 22 | Illinois | $35,730 | $35,080 | $17 | -1.1% | 17,560 |
| 23 | Virginia | $35,590 | $35,090 | $17 | -1.5% | 7,420 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $35,080 | $34,670 | $17 | -2.9% | 6,680 |
| 25 | Florida | $34,530 | $33,930 | $17 | -4.5% | 19,240 |
| 26 | Delaware | $34,410 | $31,430 | $17 | -4.8% | 1,010 |
| 27 | Michigan | $33,930 | $34,260 | $16 | -6.1% | 7,700 |
| 28 | Idaho | $33,920 | $34,220 | $16 | -6.1% | 930 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $33,720 | $33,300 | $16 | -6.7% | 13,940 |
| 30 | Missouri | $33,390 | $31,840 | $16 | -7.6% | 7,490 |
| 31 | Georgia | $33,270 | $31,530 | $16 | -7.9% | 4,970 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $33,150 | $31,460 | $16 | -8.3% | 8,820 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $32,870 | $31,980 | $16 | -9% | 160 |
| 34 | Nebraska | $32,860 | $31,540 | $16 | -9.1% | 3,800 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $32,750 | $32,200 | $16 | -9.4% | 3,660 |
| 36 | Tennessee | $32,590 | $30,670 | $16 | -9.8% | 5,230 |
| 37 | Ohio | $32,470 | $30,440 | $16 | -10.2% | 15,320 |
| 38 | Wyoming | $32,470 | $33,090 | $16 | -10.2% | 250 |
| 39 | Indiana | $32,400 | $31,840 | $16 | -10.3% | 3,900 |
| 40 | Montana | $32,400 | $32,090 | $16 | -10.3% | 1,050 |
| 41 | Utah | $31,930 | $30,170 | $15 | -11.6% | 2,430 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $31,270 | $31,740 | $15 | -13.5% | 2,990 |
| 43 | Iowa | $31,000 | $30,110 | $15 | -14.2% | 5,270 |
| 44 | West Virginia | $30,410 | $30,170 | $15 | -15.9% | 460 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $30,180 | $28,490 | $15 | -16.5% | 1,760 |
| 46 | Texas | $29,950 | $29,300 | $14 | -17.1% | 14,340 |
| 47 | Alabama | $29,110 | $29,000 | $14 | -19.5% | 2,920 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $29,110 | $27,600 | $14 | -19.5% | 3,540 |
| 49 | Kansas | $28,610 | $29,040 | $14 | -20.8% | 1,270 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $26,970 | $27,250 | $13 | -25.4% | 1,860 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $26,000 | $27,200 | $13 | -28.1% | 2,380 |
Top-Paying Metro Areas
Highest median pay among 481 metro areas.
| # | Metro area | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $62,960 | $59,020 | 200 |
| 2 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $46,210 | $50,590 | 1,960 |
| 3 | Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $45,030 | $44,210 | 50 |
| 4 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $44,710 | $48,600 | 4,160 |
| 5 | Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $44,040 | $43,240 | 200 |
| 6 | Napa, CA | $41,850 | $48,550 | 240 |
| 7 | Burlington-South Burlington, VT | $41,090 | $43,500 | 310 |
| 8 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $40,640 | $43,720 | 4,800 |
| 9 | Ithaca, NY | $40,240 | $39,770 | 120 |
| 10 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $40,180 | $43,510 | 520 |
Pay by Industry
Highest-paying industries employing food servers, nonrestaurants (BLS OEWS, by median).
| # | Industry | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Outpatient Care Centers | $61,250 | $56,020 | 220 |
| 2 | Personal and Laundry Services | $50,340 | $52,850 | 230 |
| 3 | Other Support Services | $49,530 | $46,540 | — |
| 4 | General Medical and Surgical Hospitals, State Government Owned | $49,510 | $49,610 | 1,180 |
| 5 | Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions | $47,660 | $42,630 | 340 |
| 6 | Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions | $47,660 | $42,630 | 340 |
| 7 | Junior Colleges, Local Government Owned | $47,360 | $45,590 | 90 |
| 8 | Full-Service Restaurants | $45,700 | $41,790 | 1,520 |
| 9 | Hospitals, State Government Owned | $44,910 | $46,810 | 1,940 |
| 10 | Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools, Privately Owned | $44,000 | $47,560 | 190 |
| 11 | Food Manufacturing | $42,870 | $42,170 | 160 |
| 12 | Grantmaking and Giving Services | $42,450 | $46,530 | 40 |
Workforce Deep-Dive
Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.
Annual wage distribution
Pay by age band
Education level
Full-time vs part-time
Race / ethnicity
Top fields of study
Top Skills
Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do food servers, nonrestaurant make in the U.S.?
The median food servers, nonrestaurant salary in the United States is $35,360 per year (mean $36,140), and about 80% earn between $28,030 and $46,120.
How much do food servers, nonrestaurant make per hour?
Roughly $17 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $36,140 and 2,080 work hours per year.
Which state pays food servers, nonrestaurant the most?
Hawaii has the highest average pay for food servers, nonrestaurant at $45,670 per year (median $37,920).
What is the job outlook for food servers, nonrestaurant?
Employment is projected to change +3% from 2024 to 2034 (About as fast as average), with about 48,000 openings per year.