Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations

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2019 Workforce

8.95M

Average Age

33.2

Estimated Job Growth

9.33%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$19,544

Average Male Salary

$22,142

Average Female Salary

$17,351

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 $19,544 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations by wage are Personal Care & Service Occupations, Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance Occupations, and Healthcare Support 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 (South) & Enterprise PUMA, NV, and Paradise (Northwest) & Winchester PUMA, NV. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations are Las Vegas City (South Central) PUMA, NV, Paradise (Northwest) & Winchester PUMA, NV, and Elmhurst & South Corona PUMA, NY.

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 Water transportation. Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations are paid most in Malden & Medford Cities PUMA, MA but are relatively concentrated in Las Vegas City (South Central) PUMA, NV.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$19,544

AVERAGE SALARY

± $169

In 2019, Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations earned an average of $19,544, $35,980 less than than the average national salary of $55,524.

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

0.416

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.416, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. 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, Management of companies & enterprises, Broadcasting (except internet), U. S Coast Guard, Water transportation, Broadcasting (except internet), Scenic & sightseeing transportation, Legal services, Securities, commodities, funds, trusts & other financial investments, Management of companies & enterprises, Rail transportation, Management, scientific & technical consulting services, Not specified retail trade, Support activities for mining, Miscellaneous manufacturing, n.e.c. , U. S Coast Guard, Securities, commodities, funds, trusts & other financial investments, and U. S. Army.

Industries by Share

8.95M

2019 Workforce

± 71,258

0.938%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 1.12%

The number of people employed as Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations has been growing at a rate of 0.938%, from 8,868,964 people in 2018 to 8,952,149 people in 2019.

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 75.5%, followed by Elementary & secondary schools with 3.58% and Traveler accommodation with 3%.

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 34.1, and the most common race/ethnicity for Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

4.1M

MALE WORKFORCE

± 49,018

4.86M

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 53,225

54.2% 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)

51.2% of Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 15.9% 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

± 0.165

34.1

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.17

The median age of Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations is 33.2, and Male employees are generally 2.17 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 degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree 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 Quality Control Analysis, Troubleshooting, and Technology Design.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Growth Projections

Projections on wages and job growth for Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ten-year national workforce is projected to grow 6.85%, but Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations are expected to see a growth of 9.33% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow higher than the national average.

Job Growth

9.33%

ESTIMATED GROWTH

6.85%

NATIONAL AVERAGE

This line chart shows the 10-year projected employment growth (from 2018 to 2028) for Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations. This profession is expected to grow faster than 6.85%, the average rate of national job growth.