Food Servers, Nonrestaurant

SOC 35-3040

The median annual wage for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant is $33,110, based on BLS OEWS 2023 data. The mean annual wage is $33,840, and an estimated 267,840 workers are employed in this occupation nationally. Between 2020 and 2023, pay rose +27.8% while consumer prices rose 17.7% — a real change of +8.5% after inflation.

Wage Trend & Inflation Adjustment

How the national median wage for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant has moved across BLS OEWS release years, and what each year's wage is worth in 2023 dollars after adjusting for CPI inflation. "Real" change strips out inflation — the truest measure of whether pay is actually rising.

National median wage trend for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant, nominal and inflation-adjusted, BLS OEWS.
Year	Median (nominal)	In 2023 $ (real)	Employment
2023	$33,110	$33,110	267,840
2022	$30,300	$31,547	248,870
2021	$28,730	$32,306	243,030
2020	$25,910	$30,504	254,650

Nominal change

+27.8%

Inflation (CPI)

+17.7%

Real change

+8.5%

Wage Distribution (National, 2023)

10th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th, and 90th percentile annual wages from BLS OEWS — the full spread, not just an average.

10th Pct

$24,480

25th Pct

$28,640

Median

$33,110

75th Pct

$36,780

90th Pct

$43,740

Related Occupations in Food Preparation & Serving

Other occupations in the same SOC major group, ranked by national median wage.

Chefs and Head Cooks $58,920 Cooks, Private Household $42,590 First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $38,520 Fast Food and Counter Workers $37,379 Cooks, All Other $35,920 Cooks, Restaurant $35,780 Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria $35,320 Cooks, Short Order $34,130

All Food Preparation & Serving occupations →

Compare with another occupation All H-1B Employers