First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers pay in the United States

Goes furthest in Washington
·Food Preparation and Serving·
1.2M jobs
Figures from US Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Employment and Wage Statistics
$21.19/hr median
1,223,240 employed
+5% to 2035
42% AI exposure
High school diploma or equivalent
54 states reported
and more...

What this work is

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in preparing and serving food.

Where the money actually goes furthest

Washington pays the most both before and after cost of living — $59,400, worth $55,508 once local prices are counted.

Pay by state

54 states and territories publish a median for this occupation. Switch the ranking to see how much the order changes.

Adjusted for what things cost in that state.

Median pay for First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers by state, ranked by what it is worth locally
StateHourlyAnnualWorth locallyAfter state taxJobs
Washington$28.56/hr$59,400$55,508$59,40020,700
District of Columbia$27.49/hr$57,170$52,020$54,8022,830
Connecticut$25.45/hr$52,940$51,095$50,77810,770
Vermont$23.95/hr$49,820$50,857$48,3851,970
North Dakota$21.50/hr$44,720$50,269$44,7202,780
Maine$23.07/hr$47,990$49,448$45,9903,740
Colorado$24.30/hr$50,550$49,053$49,02225,510
Delaware$23.13/hr$48,120$48,211$46,0164,030
Indiana$21.58/hr$44,880$48,087$43,56323,500
New Hampshire$23.90/hr$49,710$47,720$49,7103,840
North Carolina$21.64/hr$45,010$47,715$43,63839,750
Rhode Island$23.27/hr$48,400$47,321$46,9803,320
Montana$21.16/hr$44,010$46,497$42,5284,650
Minnesota$21.77/hr$45,270$45,903$43,62720,760
South Dakota$19.54/hr$40,640$45,874$40,6402,920
Alaska$22.39/hr$46,570$45,496$46,5702,390
Oregon$22.57/hr$46,950$45,423$43,38316,880
Virginia$21.90/hr$45,550$45,054$43,67730,640
New Jersey$23.28/hr$48,420$44,499$47,23727,750
Hawaii$23.50/hr$48,880$44,456$46,5947,330
Iowa$18.64/hr$38,760$44,165$37,84111,400
Pennsylvania$20.70/hr$43,050$44,122$41,72835,560
Tennessee$19.47/hr$40,500$44,084$40,50029,100
Massachusetts$22.40/hr$46,600$44,062$44,27023,220
Nevada$21.17/hr$44,030$44,038$44,03014,230
New York$22.69/hr$47,190$43,726$45,19965,580
Nebraska$18.86/hr$39,230$43,540$38,0847,840
Florida$21.38/hr$44,470$43,003$44,47091,500
New Mexico$18.90/hr$39,310$42,630$38,4786,540
Kansas$18.37/hr$38,220$42,433$36,37510,520
California$22.59/hr$46,980$42,431$45,916130,190
Wisconsin$19.07/hr$39,670$42,157$38,63821,240
Mississippi$17.56/hr$36,530$42,012$35,02310,480
Alabama$17.84/hr$37,110$41,781$35,44419,180
Missouri$17.98/hr$37,400$41,180$36,49821,650
South Carolina$18.52/hr$38,520$41,088$37,71420,120
Louisiana$17.21/hr$35,800$40,584$35,10116,680
Maryland$20.41/hr$42,450$40,443$40,61420,150
Oklahoma$17.03/hr$35,420$40,323$34,22718,900
Arizona$19.49/hr$40,550$40,276$39,90121,450
Ohio$17.95/hr$37,340$40,250$37,02951,990
Georgia$18.56/hr$38,600$40,087$37,21948,420
Idaho$18.36/hr$38,190$39,993$36,9397,440
Wyoming$17.70/hr$36,820$39,723$36,8202,680
Kentucky$17.21/hr$35,810$39,718$34,50418,010
Illinois$18.98/hr$39,470$39,485$37,65341,030
Michigan$18.24/hr$37,940$39,430$36,56532,890
Utah$18.63/hr$38,750$39,196$36,98613,670
Arkansas$16.25/hr$33,800$38,877$32,65811,200
Texas$17.54/hr$36,480$37,585$36,480137,930
West Virginia$15.90/hr$33,070$36,949$32,1356,390
Virgin Islands$18.88/hr$39,260Not publishedNot published340
Puerto Rico$13.66/hr$28,420Not publishedNot published6,960
Guam$13.13/hr$27,310Not publishedNot published640

National median for comparison: $44,080. “Worth locally” divides pay by the area’s price level, so a figure above the headline means money goes further there than the US average.

$44,080/year

$21.19/hr an hour, national median

Across the states

$23,170$73,860

25th to 75th percentile, lowest and highest state

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How much of this job could software do?

42%Moderate exposure
Hands, places, peopleLanguage and information

The two methods broadly agree.

Method 1 — ability mix49%

Cognitive share of O*NET ability importance (element families 1.A.1–1.A.4), O*NET 31.0

Method 2 — task content34%

Importance-weighted share of O*NET tasks classed as language or information work, O*NET 31.0

What this does and does not mean

Exposure means a model could plausibly do a meaningful share of the tasks in this job. It is not a forecast that the job disappears, and it says nothing about whether any employer will actually automate it.

For what the labour market expects, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment in this occupation to change by +5% between 2025 and 2035, with about 171,500 openings a year.

Which parts are exposed

  • Compile and balance cash receipts at the end of the day or shift.
  • Forecast staff, equipment, and supply requirements, based on a master menu.
  • Assess nutritional needs of patients, plan special menus, supervise the assembly of regular and special diet trays, and oversee the delivery of food trolleys to hospital patients.
  • Perform personnel actions, such as hiring and firing staff, providing employee orientation and training, and conducting supervisory activities, such as creating work schedules or organizing employee time sheets.
  • Record production, operational, and personnel data on specified forms.
  • Resolve customer complaints regarding food service.

Amber marks language and information work. Green marks tasks that need a person in a place.

Where first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers move next

Occupations that share most of this one’s skills, with the pay difference and the change in AI exposure.

Location

San Diego, CA, United States of America (SAN-San Diego Intl.)

Photograph by RDNE Stock project.