Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations

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Total Workforce

8.87M

Average Age

Average Salary

$19,221

Average Male Salary

$21,960

Average Female Salary

$16,925

About

Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations are most often employed by the Restaurants & Food Services industry. The average yearly wage for Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations was $19,221 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations by wage are Personal Care & Service Occupations, Healthcare Support Occupations, and Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance Occupations.

Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations are part of the Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations, along with Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations are Spring Valley & Summerlin South PUMA, NV, Paradise (Northwest) & Winchester PUMA, NV, and Walton, Washington, Holmes & Bay Counties PUMA, FL. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations are Atlantic City & Ventnor City PUMA, NJ, Westpark Tollway, Between Loop I-610 & Beltway TX-8 PUMA, TX, and Paradise (Northwest) & Winchester PUMA, NV.

Photo by Marjon Melissen

Service Occupations Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations and on wages and locations for those in the field. Restaurants & Food Services is the industry that employs the most Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations, by average wage, is Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals. Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations are paid most in Malden & Medford Cities PUMA, MA but are relatively concentrated in Atlantic City & Ventnor City PUMA, NJ.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$19,221

AVERAGE SALARY

± $178

In 2018, Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations earned an average of $19,221, $34,668 less than than the average national salary of $53,888.

Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations are the lowest paid occupation in the US followed by Personal Care & Service Occupations. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.425

WAGE GINI

In 2018, Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.425, which is lower than than the national average of 0.479. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations, by number of employees, are Restaurants & Food Services, Elementary & secondary schools, and Traveler accommodation.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations, by average wage, are Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals, Broadcasting (except internet), Legal services, Management of companies & enterprises, Rail transportation, and Not specified retail trade.

Industries by Share

8.87M

2018 Workforce

± 70,914

-0.465%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 1.13%

The number of people employed as Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations has been declining at a rate of -0.465%, from 8,910,412 people in 2017 to 8,868,964 people in 2018.

This graphic shows the share of Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations employed by various industries. Restaurants & Food Services employs the largest share of Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations at 75.7%, followed by Elementary & secondary schools with 3.52% and Traveler accommodation with 2.95%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations in the US. The average age of male Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations in the workforce is 32 and of female Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations is 33.8, and the most common race/ethnicity for Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

4.04M

MALE WORKFORCE

± 48,697

4.83M

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 53,054

54.4% of Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations are Female, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations

White (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)

51.8% of Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 15.4% of Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations, White (Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations.

Age by Gender

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.164

33.8

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.167

The median age of Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations is 33, and Male employees are generally 1.77 years younger than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations is Business but a relatively high number of Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations hold a major in Personal & Culinary Services.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degree-majorss. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree-majors obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations need many skills, but most especially Monitoring, Coordination, and Speaking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations need more than the average amount of Operation and Control, Operation Monitoring, and Quality Control Analysis.