Food Servers, Nonrestaurant pay in the United States

Goes furthest in North Dakota
·Food Preparation and Serving·
294k jobs
Figures from US Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Employment and Wage Statistics
$17.00/hr median
293,900 employed
+5% to 2035
26% AI exposure
No formal educational credential
53 states reported
and more...

What this work is

Serve food to individuals outside of a restaurant environment, such as in hotel rooms, hospital rooms, residential care facilities, or cars.

Where the money actually goes furthest

New York pays the highest headline figure at $39,370. Adjusted for what things cost there it is worth $36,480 — less than North Dakota, where $36,910 is worth $41,490.

Pay by state

53 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 Food Servers, Nonrestaurant by state, ranked by what it is worth locally
StateHourlyAnnualWorth locallyAfter state taxJobs
North Dakota$17.75/hr$36,910$41,490$36,9101,630
Maine$18.11/hr$37,680$38,825$36,341540
New Mexico$17.19/hr$35,740$38,759$35,076670
Vermont$18.05/hr$37,540$38,321$36,516780
Colorado$18.70/hr$38,900$37,748$37,8677,750
Alaska$18.31/hr$38,090$37,211$38,090430
Wisconsin$16.67/hr$34,670$36,843$33,8586,680
Minnesota$17.31/hr$36,000$36,503$34,85311,090
New York$18.93/hr$39,370$36,480$37,80917,520
Washington$18.69/hr$38,870$36,323$38,8708,050
South Dakota$15.38/hr$31,980$36,098$31,980160
Nevada$17.32/hr$36,030$36,037$36,0301,820
Idaho$16.45/hr$34,220$35,836$33,180930
Kentucky$15.48/hr$32,200$35,714$31,0383,660
Wyoming$15.91/hr$33,090$35,699$33,090250
Michigan$16.47/hr$34,260$35,605$33,0417,700
Oregon$17.61/hr$36,620$35,429$33,9564,420
New Hampshire$17.65/hr$36,710$35,240$36,7101,770
California$18.75/hr$39,010$35,233$38,28832,430
Arizona$17.01/hr$35,390$35,150$34,8704,620
Illinois$16.87/hr$35,080$35,094$33,48017,560
Missouri$15.31/hr$31,840$35,058$31,2007,490
Nebraska$15.17/hr$31,540$35,005$30,7663,800
Maryland$17.62/hr$36,650$34,918$35,0896,600
Massachusetts$17.67/hr$36,750$34,748$34,9125,830
Virginia$16.87/hr$35,090$34,708$33,8187,420
Connecticut$17.29/hr$35,950$34,697$34,5825,050
District of Columbia$18.23/hr$37,920$34,504$36,7201,260
Hawaii$18.23/hr$37,920$34,488$36,413880
Iowa$14.48/hr$30,110$34,309$29,5205,270
Pennsylvania$16.01/hr$33,300$34,129$32,27713,940
Indiana$15.31/hr$31,840$34,115$30,9143,900
Rhode Island$16.76/hr$34,860$34,082$33,9481,020
Montana$15.43/hr$32,090$33,903$31,2671,050
South Carolina$15.26/hr$31,740$33,856$31,3322,990
West Virginia$14.51/hr$30,170$33,709$29,331460
New Jersey$17.50/hr$36,390$33,443$35,79811,400
Tennessee$14.75/hr$30,670$33,384$30,6705,230
North Carolina$15.13/hr$31,460$33,351$30,6648,820
Ohio$14.63/hr$30,440$32,812$30,31915,320
Florida$16.31/hr$33,930$32,811$33,93019,240
Georgia$15.16/hr$31,530$32,744$30,5164,970
Alabama$13.94/hr$29,000$32,650$27,7402,920
Oklahoma$13.70/hr$28,490$32,433$27,6261,760
Kansas$13.96/hr$29,040$32,241$27,7081,270
Arkansas$13.27/hr$27,600$31,746$26,7003,540
Delaware$15.11/hr$31,430$31,489$30,2521,010
Mississippi$13.10/hr$27,250$31,339$26,1521,860
Louisiana$13.08/hr$27,200$30,835$26,7592,380
Utah$14.51/hr$30,170$30,517$28,7972,430
Texas$14.09/hr$29,300$30,187$29,30014,340
Virgin Islands$14.31/hr$29,760Not publishedNot publishedNot published
Puerto Rico$10.50/hr$21,840Not publishedNot published540

National median for comparison: $35,360. “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.

$35,360/year

$17.00/hr an hour, national median

Across the states

$21,490$63,340

25th to 75th percentile, lowest and highest state

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How much of this job could software do?

26%Low exposure
Hands, places, peopleLanguage and information

The two methods disagree — treat any single figure for this job with caution.

Method 1 — ability mix44%

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

Method 2 — task content7%

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 48,800 openings a year.

Which parts are exposed

  • Place food servings on plates or trays according to orders or instructions.
  • Clean or sterilize dishes, kitchen utensils, equipment, or facilities.
  • Monitor food distribution, ensuring that meals are delivered to the correct recipients and that guidelines, such as those for special diets, are followed.
  • Examine trays to ensure that they contain required items.
  • Load trays with accessories, such as eating utensils, napkins, or condiments.
  • Take food orders and relay orders to kitchens or serving counters so they can be filled.

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

Where food servers, nonrestaurant 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 Willians Huerta.