Food Preparation and Serving Related Salaries
The BLS classifies 17 detailed occupations in this group, all with a published median. Across the whole group the BLS reports a median of $35,050 a year and about 13.68 million jobs.
The spread inside the group runs from $30,890 for Cooks, Fast Food to $62,470 for Chefs and Head Cooks. Ranking occupations by median is the fastest way to see which roles the market pays most within this field.
All food preparation and serving related occupations by median pay
Medians are annual, from the BLS May 2025 national estimates. Employment shows the number of jobs in each occupation.
| Occupation | Median pay | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Chefs and Head Cooks | $62,470 | 200,040 |
| Cooks, Private Household | $47,940 | 1,100 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $44,080 | 1,223,240 |
| Cooks, All Other | $37,690 | 19,350 |
| Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | $37,450 | 441,050 |
| Cooks, Restaurant | $37,390 | 1,409,890 |
| Cooks, Short Order | $35,880 | 138,650 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other | $35,840 | 84,630 |
| Food Servers, Nonrestaurant | $35,360 | 293,900 |
| Food Preparation Workers | $35,320 | 893,600 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $35,230 | 2,270,910 |
| Dishwashers | $34,810 | 477,450 |
| Bartenders | $34,340 | 756,390 |
| Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | $33,980 | 542,750 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $31,200 | 3,854,050 |
| Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | $31,200 | 432,690 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | $30,890 | 641,070 |
How to read this table
A high median can reflect scarce skills, union coverage, licensing requirements or simply a small, senior workforce. A low median can reflect part-time schedules or a large entry-level tier. Neither is a verdict on the work itself.
Employment matters as much as pay when comparing occupations: a role with 500,000 jobs and a $35,050 median offers far more openings than a niche role paying twice as much.