Career field
Food & Hospitality Service careers
Occupations preparing and serving food and supporting hospitality. CampusPin lists 17 food & hospitality service occupations, with median pay ranging from $30,160 to $60,990 per year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024). Median pay is occupation-wide, not a starting wage or a guarantee.
Occupations
17
indexed BLS occupations
Median pay range
$30,160–$60,990
BLS 2024, occupation-wide
Typical pay (midpoint)
$34,460
median of these medians
Most common entry education
No formal educational credential
across 17 occupations
Projected to grow fastest
BLS projected employment change, 2024–2034.
Largest by employment
BLS employment estimate, 2024.
- Fast food and counter workers3,796,000
- Waiters and waitresses2,329,700
- Cooks, restaurant1,460,200
- First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers1,215,000
- Food preparation workers902,700
Typical entry-level education
How many of these occupations BLS classifies at each typical entry-level education. Many roles also have experience or licensure requirements beyond a degree.
- No formal educational credential: 14
- High school diploma or equivalent: 2
- Postsecondary nondegree award: 1
Occupations in this field
Every occupation BLS places in this field, with median pay, the openings each is projected to average per year, its projected employment change, and the education most entrants hold. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first, which is the measure of how much hiring a field actually does rather than how much it pays.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast food and counter workers | $30,480 | 904,300 | +6.1% | No formal educational credential |
| Waiters and waitresses | $33,760 | 456,700 | -0.7% | No formal educational credential |
| Cooks, restaurant | $36,830 | 250,700 | +14.9% | No formal educational credential |
| First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers | $42,010 | 183,900 | +6% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Food preparation workers | $34,220 | 148,000 | -3.4% | No formal educational credential |
| Bartenders | $33,530 | 129,600 | +5.9% | No formal educational credential |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop | $30,380 | 107,700 | -1.5% | No formal educational credential |
| Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers | $32,670 | 99,600 | +6.3% | No formal educational credential |
| Cooks, fast food | $30,160 | 82,100 | -13.5% | No formal educational credential |
| Dishwashers | $33,670 | 76,800 | +0.2% | No formal educational credential |
| Cooks, institution and cafeteria | $36,450 | 69,700 | +2% | No formal educational credential |
| Food servers, nonrestaurant | $34,460 | 48,000 | +3% | No formal educational credential |
| Chefs and head cooks | $60,990 | 24,400 | +7.1% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Cooks, short order | $35,620 | 20,600 | -5.6% | No formal educational credential |
| Food preparation and serving related workers, all other | $34,830 | 14,600 | +6.4% | No formal educational credential |
| Cooks, private household | $44,530 | 5,300 | +5.1% | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Cooks, all other | $36,210 | 3,700 | +5.5% | No formal educational credential |
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024 wages and Employment Projections. “Most entrants hold” describes the education people already working in the occupation typically have. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Majors that lead into this field
CampusPin majors whose program maps to occupations in this field via the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk.
Frequently asked questions
What careers are in the food & hospitality service field?
CampusPin lists 17 food & hospitality service occupations from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, including Chefs and head cooks, Cooks, private household, First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers, Cooks, restaurant. Each links to a career page with median pay, projected job growth, and typical entry-level education.
How much do food & hospitality service careers pay?
Across these occupations, BLS 2024 median pay ranges from $30,160 to $60,990 per year, with a midpoint (the median of the occupations' medians) near $34,460. Median pay is occupation-wide, not a starting wage, and varies by state, employer, and experience.
What education do food & hospitality service careers require?
Typical entry-level education varies by occupation; the most common in this field is no formal educational credential. 14 occupations list no formal educational credential; 2 occupations list high school diploma or equivalent; 1 occupation list postsecondary nondegree award.
Which food & hospitality service careers are projected to grow fastest?
Over 2024–2034, BLS projects the fastest growth for Cooks, restaurant (+14.9%), Chefs and head cooks (+7.1%), Food preparation and serving related workers, all other (+6.4%), Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers (+6.3%), Fast food and counter workers (+6.1%). Projections are BLS model estimates, not guarantees.
Put this field in context
The pay and growth numbers above are field-wide BLS medians and national projections across food & hospitality service occupations, not a starting salary or a guarantee for any single job. These CampusPin guides explain how to read them and how a field connects to majors and college choices.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
How one major connects to many careers
A major points toward several occupations in a field, not a single destination.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Compare cost, earnings, and debt together
Weigh price, earnings, and debt side by side without reducing a field to one number.
Occupation data is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (Employment Projections); wages are 2024 and projections cover 2024–2034. Figures are national, not institution-specific, and projections are estimates, not guarantees.