Restaurant wages vary widely by role, workplace, and geography. National May 2025 estimates put food preparation and serving related occupations at a $17.86 mean hourly wage, while Pittsburgh-area workers in the broader group averaged $15.48 in May 2024. The figures below use Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates and forecasts, with measurement periods kept explicit.
Table of contents
- National restaurant wage snapshot
- Front-of-house restaurant wages
- Kitchen and food-preparation wages
- Supervision and management wages
- Pittsburgh-area restaurant wage context
- Employment mix and wage distribution
- Restaurant employment outlook
National restaurant wage snapshot
The BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey provides a broad view of restaurant-related work. In May 2025, food preparation and serving related occupations employed 13,680,750 people nationally. The group had a mean wage of $17.86 per hour, equivalent to $37,150 annually on the BLS year-round, full-time basis, and a median hourly wage of $16.85. BLS OEWS, May 2025
The largest broad group here was food and beverage serving workers, with 7,175,250 employees. Their mean was $17.18 per hour, or $35,730 annually, and their median was $16.06. Cooks and food preparation workers numbered 3,544,690 and averaged $17.61 per hour, with a $17.46 median and $36,630 mean annual wage. BLS OEWS, May 2025
| Occupation or group | Employment | Mean hourly | Median hourly | Mean annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food preparation and serving related | 13,680,750 | $17.86 | $16.85 | $37,150 |
| Food and beverage serving | 7,175,250 | $17.18 | $16.06 | $35,730 |
| Cooks and food preparation | 3,544,690 | $17.61 | $17.46 | $36,630 |
| Food-preparation and serving supervisors | 1,423,280 | $23.59 | $21.81 | $49,070 |
| Chefs and head cooks | 200,040 | $32.07 | $30.03 | $66,700 |
| Food service managers | 238,430 | $36.00 | $33.36 | $74,880 |
These are cross-industry national estimates. Food-service occupations can also occur outside restaurants, and mean annual wages are not interchangeable with hourly medians. Tips, part-time schedules, seasonality, and classification differences can affect an individual worker’s pay.
Front-of-house restaurant wages
Front-of-house roles show a broad range in the May 2025 national estimates. Waiters and waitresses employed 2,270,910 people and had a $19.26 mean hourly wage, a $16.94 median, and a $40,060 mean annual wage. Bartenders employed 756,390 and had a $19.61 mean, a $16.51 median, and a $40,790 mean annual wage. BLS OEWS, May 2025
Fast food and counter work was a much larger occupation, with 3,854,050 employees. Its mean was $15.46 per hour, its median was $15.00, and its mean annual wage was $32,150. Food servers outside restaurants employed 293,900 people and had a $17.37 mean hourly wage, $17.00 median, and $36,140 mean annual wage.
Other service roles clustered near the middle of the national range. Dining-room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers employed 542,750 people, with a $16.46 mean and $16.34 median. Dishwashers employed 477,450, with a $16.49 mean and $16.73 median. Hosts and hostesses in restaurants, lounges, and coffee shops employed 432,690, with a $15.72 mean, $15.00 median, and $32,690 mean annual wage. BLS OEWS, May 2025
Kitchen and food-preparation wages
Among kitchen occupations, cooks overall employed 2,651,090 people nationally in May 2025. Their mean hourly wage was $17.83, median was $17.62, and mean annual wage was $37,080. Restaurant cooks, a narrower group, employed 1,409,890 and had a $18.62 mean, $17.98 median, and $38,730 mean annual wage. BLS OEWS, May 2025
Fast-food cooks employed 641,070 people and had a $15.57 mean hourly wage, $14.85 median, and $32,390 mean annual wage. Institution and cafeteria cooks employed 441,050, with a $18.66 mean, $18.01 median, and $38,810 mean annual wage. Short-order cooks employed 138,650 and had a $17.37 mean and $17.25 median.
Food preparation workers, a separate occupation, employed 893,600 people. Their mean was $16.96 per hour, their median was $16.98, and their mean annual wage was $35,290. Cooks classified as all other employed 19,350 and had a $18.82 mean, $18.12 median, and $39,150 mean annual wage. Private-household cooks were a small group of 1,100 employees, with a $25.81 mean and $23.05 median. BLS OEWS, May 2025
Supervision and management wages
Pay rises in the national estimates for jobs carrying supervisory or management responsibility. The broad food-preparation and serving supervisor group employed 1,423,280 people and had a $23.59 mean hourly wage, $21.81 median, and $49,070 mean annual wage. First-line supervisors, a narrower group of 1,223,240 employees, had a $22.20 mean, $21.19 median, and $46,180 mean annual wage. BLS OEWS, May 2025
Chefs and head cooks employed 200,040 nationally and had a $32.07 mean hourly wage, $30.03 median, and $66,700 mean annual wage. Food service managers employed 238,430 and had the highest listed national mean in this set: $36.00 per hour, a $33.36 median, and $74,880 mean annual wage. These annual figures are BLS year-round, full-time equivalents where reported, not a guarantee of a worker’s actual annual schedule.
Pittsburgh-area restaurant wage context
The Pittsburgh metropolitan area had a different wage profile in May 2024. Food preparation and serving related occupations accounted for 9.1% of area employment and had a $15.48 mean hourly wage. Nationally, the corresponding group accounted for 8.8% of employment and had a $17.32 mean hourly wage for that period. BLS, Occupational Employment and Wages in Pittsburgh—May 2024
That 9.1% share made food preparation and serving related work Pittsburgh’s second-largest major occupational group by employment share. Across all occupations, Pittsburgh workers had a $30.22 mean hourly wage, compared with $32.66 nationally. The Pittsburgh food-service figure is a metropolitan-area May 2024 mean, so it should not be read as a 2025 national median or as an individual restaurant offer.
Employment mix and wage distribution
The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook provides additional detail for food and beverage serving and related workers in May 2024. The national median hourly wage was $14.92. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $10.88 per hour, while the highest-paid 10% earned more than $19.65. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
Median wages differed by detailed occupation: $16.57 for food servers outside restaurants, $15.71 for dining-room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers, $14.65 for fast-food and counter workers, and $14.61 for restaurant hosts and hostesses. The same source reports median wages by industry: $16.71 in healthcare and social assistance, $16.48 in retail trade, $16.43 in traveler accommodation, $16.17 in educational services, and $14.56 in food services and drinking places.
Food services and drinking places employed 82% of food and beverage serving and related workers in 2024. Retail trade and healthcare and social assistance each accounted for 4%, educational services accounted for 3%, and traveler accommodation accounted for 2%. This industry mix helps explain why an occupation-wide wage statistic is not identical to a restaurant-only wage statistic.
Fast-food and counter workers held about 3,796,000 jobs in 2024, the largest detailed occupation in the group. Dining-room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers held about 527,400 jobs; hosts and hostesses in restaurants, lounges, and coffee shops held about 429,900; and food servers outside restaurants held about 277,200. These are 2024 employment counts, not forecasts. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
Restaurant employment outlook
The BLS projects employment of food and beverage serving and related workers to grow 5% from 2024 to 2034, compared with 4% growth for food preparation and serving related occupations. About 1,159,600 openings are projected each year on average for food and beverage serving and related workers during that decade. These are forecasts, not observations for 2026. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
The projected number of food and beverage serving and related jobs rises from 5,030,600 in 2024 to 5,298,600 in 2034. Fast-food and counter workers are projected to increase from 3,796,000 jobs to 4,029,200, a 6% increase. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
Industry-specific employment data provide another view. In Special Food Services in May 2024, fast-food and counter workers were the largest listed occupation at 155,030 jobs. The industry also employed 71,760 institution and cafeteria cooks, 57,280 waiters and waitresses, 51,940 food preparation workers, 50,310 first-line supervisors, and 30,530 dishwashers. Restaurant cooks numbered 24,190, while dining-room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers numbered 23,790. BLS OEWS Special Food Services chart, May 2024
The Special Food Services counts are industry-specific employment figures, not wage estimates. Taken together with the national and Pittsburgh-area wage measures, they show why restaurant pay comparisons need a clear occupation, industry, geography, and measurement date.