Pennsylvania’s food-service economy included 26,993 food services and drinking places establishments and 412,514 employees in 2022. Restaurants and other eating places accounted for 22,130 establishments and 355,914 employees that year, while the latest 2025 industry report recorded 22,234 establishments and 357,007 jobs in that category.
Contents
- Pennsylvania restaurant industry at a glance
- Revenue, payroll and employment
- Full-service and limited-service restaurants
- Special food services and drinking places
- Cafeterias, buffets, snack bars and beverage shops
- What changed in the 2025 industry data
Pennsylvania restaurant industry at a glance
The 2022 Economic Census counted Pennsylvania’s accommodation and food services sector more broadly than restaurants alone. It included 23,281 firms and 29,042 establishments, with $34,888,736 thousand in sales, value of shipments or revenue. The sector reported $9,724,441 thousand in annual payroll and employed 462,379 people.
Within that broad sector, food services and drinking places represented 21,527 firms and 26,993 establishments. The category generated $27,601,849 thousand in sales, value of shipments or revenue, reported $8,134,215 thousand in annual payroll and employed 412,514 people. These 2022 figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 Economic Census, whose measurements cover establishments and firms with paid employees.
| Pennsylvania category | Firms, 2022 | Establishments, 2022 | Employees, 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 23,281 | 29,042 | 462,379 |
| Food services and drinking places | 21,527 | 26,993 | 412,514 |
| Restaurants and other eating places | 18,388 | 22,130 | 355,914 |
The difference between firms and establishments is important when reading these statistics. A firm is the business organization, while an establishment is an individual physical location or operating unit counted in the Economic Census. As a result, the establishment count is higher than the firm count in each of these categories.
Revenue, payroll and employment
Food services and drinking places generated $27,601,849 thousand in 2022, equivalent to about $27.6 billion when expressed in ordinary dollars. The same category reported $8,134,215 thousand in annual payroll and employed 412,514 people. The Economic Census publishes the monetary amounts in thousands of dollars, so the original unit should be kept in mind when comparing categories.
Restaurants and other eating places were the largest restaurant-focused category in the supplied 2022 industry breakdown. They generated $23,043,728 thousand in sales, value of shipments or revenue, reported $6,678,102 thousand in annual payroll and employed 355,914 people. This category includes the full-service, limited-service, cafeteria and buffet, and snack and nonalcoholic beverage bar categories described below.
Special food services generated $3,381,707 thousand in 2022 and reported $1,133,809 thousand in annual payroll. The category employed 39,692 people across 2,666 establishments and 1,000 firms. Special food services are distinct from restaurants and other eating places in the Economic Census classification.
Drinking places generated $1,176,414 thousand in 2022. They reported $322,304 thousand in annual payroll and employed 16,908 people across 2,197 establishments and 2,166 firms. These figures cover drinking places serving alcoholic beverages and should not be combined with restaurant categories without preserving the separate classification.
The 2022 data therefore describe a sector with several different operating models: restaurant locations that serve meals, businesses providing special food services, and drinking places. Revenue, payroll and employment vary substantially among those groups, so a statewide restaurant statistic is most useful when its NAICS category is named.
Full-service and limited-service restaurants
Pennsylvania had 8,537 full-service restaurant firms and 9,461 full-service establishments in 2022. Full-service restaurants generated $11,507,062 thousand in sales, value of shipments or revenue, reported $3,787,048 thousand in annual payroll and employed 182,932 people.
Limited-service restaurants had 7,555 firms and 9,838 establishments in the same year. They generated $9,551,847 thousand in sales, value of shipments or revenue, reported $2,375,956 thousand in annual payroll and employed 135,532 people.
| Restaurant type | Firms | Establishments | Revenue or sales (thousand dollars) | Annual payroll (thousand dollars) | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-service restaurants | 8,537 | 9,461 | 11,507,062 | 3,787,048 | 182,932 |
| Limited-service restaurants | 7,555 | 9,838 | 9,551,847 | 2,375,956 | 135,532 |
The two categories show why business counts and location counts tell different stories. Limited-service restaurants had fewer firms than full-service restaurants but more establishments: 9,838 compared with 9,461. Full-service restaurants recorded higher 2022 revenue, payroll and employment totals in this dataset, while limited-service restaurants had the larger establishment count.
Together, full-service and limited-service restaurants accounted for 16,092 firms and 19,299 establishments in 2022. Their combined figures are presented here only as a description of the two published categories side by side; the broader restaurants and other eating places category also includes cafeterias, grill buffets, buffets, and snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars.
Special food services and drinking places
Special food services included 1,000 firms and 2,666 establishments in 2022. The category’s $3,381,707 thousand in sales, value of shipments or revenue was paired with $1,133,809 thousand in annual payroll and 39,692 employees. The establishment count being higher than the firm count indicates that the category includes organizations operating more than one counted establishment.
The 2022 Economic Census also recorded 2,166 drinking-place firms and 2,197 establishments in Pennsylvania. These businesses generated $1,176,414 thousand in sales, value of shipments or revenue, reported $322,304 thousand in annual payroll and employed 16,908 people. The category is explicitly limited to drinking places serving alcoholic beverages.
The two categories have different roles in the state’s dining economy. Special food services had 2,666 establishments and 39,692 employees in 2022, while drinking places had 2,197 establishments and 16,908 employees. Those counts are not a measure of quality or popularity; they are industry statistics for paid-employee establishments during the Economic Census measurement period.
The 2022 Economic Census summary identifies the sales, value of shipments or revenue and payroll fields in thousands of dollars. It also measures firms and establishments rather than presenting a current restaurant directory, so the results should be read as a statistical snapshot of 2022.
Cafeterias, buffets, snack bars and beverage shops
The restaurants and other eating places category includes two smaller published subcategories with notably different scales. Pennsylvania had 102 firms and 111 establishments in cafeterias, grill buffets and buffets in 2022. Those establishments generated $152,385 thousand in sales, value of shipments or revenue, reported $32,281 thousand in annual payroll and employed 1,684 people.
Snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars were much larger by location and employment count. Pennsylvania had 2,222 firms and 2,720 establishments in this category in 2022. They generated $1,832,434 thousand in sales, value of shipments or revenue, reported $482,817 thousand in annual payroll and employed 35,766 people.
| Category | Firms, 2022 | Establishments, 2022 | Employees, 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cafeterias, grill buffets and buffets | 102 | 111 | 1,684 |
| Snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars | 2,222 | 2,720 | 35,766 |
The contrast is visible in the published revenue figures as well. Cafeterias, grill buffets and buffets reported $152,385 thousand, compared with $1,832,434 thousand for snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars. Their annual payroll figures were $32,281 thousand and $482,817 thousand, respectively.
These categories should remain separate from full-service and limited-service restaurants when describing Pennsylvania’s restaurant landscape. They are components of the broader restaurants and other eating places classification, but their own establishment, payroll and employment statistics provide a more precise view of smaller dining and beverage formats.
What changed in the 2025 industry data
The Pennsylvania 2025 Industry Data report provides a more recent annual view for selected categories and year-over-year changes from 2024 to 2025. It reports 22,234 restaurants and other eating places establishments, 357,007 jobs and an annual wage of $23,731 in 2025.
For restaurants and other eating places, employment increased by 2,565 jobs from 2024 to 2025, a 0.7% change. The annual wage increased by $565, or 2.4%, over the same period. The report’s restaurant category is NAICS 7225.
Special food services had 2,489 establishments and 39,103 jobs in 2025. The annual wage was $34,259. Employment increased by 1,938 jobs from 2024 to 2025, a 5.2% change, while the annual wage increased by $1,966.
Drinking places had 1,998 establishments and 15,378 jobs in 2025. Their annual wage was $21,416. Employment declined by 766 jobs from 2024 to 2025, a -4.7% change, while the annual wage increased by $109, or 0.5%.
| 2025 category | Establishments | Jobs | Annual wage | Employment change, 2024–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and other eating places | 22,234 | 357,007 | $23,731 | +2,565 jobs; +0.7% |
| Special food services | 2,489 | 39,103 | $34,259 | +1,938 jobs; +5.2% |
| Drinking places | 1,998 | 15,378 | $21,416 | -766 jobs; -4.7% |
The 2025 QCEW figures are not replacements for the 2022 Economic Census figures. The sources use different reporting programs, periods and measures: the Economic Census reports 2022 firms, establishments, sales or revenue, payroll and employment, while the QCEW report gives 2025 annual industry data, wages and year-over-year changes. Its restaurant category is NAICS 7225, with drinking places and special food services reported separately.