Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 35-3041

Food Servers, Nonrestaurant

O*NET task statements lead this Food Servers, Nonrestaurant card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Cooks, Private Household, Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop, Cooks, All Other, Cooks, Restaurant.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Food Servers, Nonrestaurant: Cooks, Private Household ($48K) , Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop ($31K) , Cooks, All Other ($38K) , Cooks, Restaurant ($37K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Food Servers, Nonrestaurant publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 35-3041 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Place food servings on plates or trays according to orders or instructions
  2. 2. Clean or sterilize dishes, kitchen utensils, equipment, or facilities
  3. 3. Monitor food distribution, ensuring that meals are delivered to the correct recipients and that guidelines, such as those for special die…
  4. 4. Examine trays to ensure that they contain required items
  5. 5. Load trays with accessories, such as eating utensils, napkins, or condiments
  6. 6. Take food orders and relay orders to kitchens or serving counters so they can be filled
  7. 7. Total checks, present them to customers, and accept payment for services
  8. 8. Monitor food preparation or serving techniques to ensure that proper procedures are followed
  9. 9. Remove trays and stack dishes for return to kitchen after meals are finished
  10. 10. Carry food, silverware, or linen on trays or use carts to carry trays
  11. 11. Record amounts and types of special food items served to customers
  12. 12. Stock service stations with items, such as ice, napkins, or straws

Food Servers, Nonrestaurant: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 35-3041 - lead skill Active Listening at 3.0 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 3.0
  2. 2. Speaking 3.0
  3. 3. Service Orientation 3.0
  4. 4. Reading Comprehension 2.9
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 2.9
  6. 6. Social Perceptiveness 2.9
  7. 7. Coordination 2.9
  8. 8. Time Management 2.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 3.6
  2. 2. English Language 3.6
  3. 3. Food Production 3.0
  4. 4. Administration and Management 3.0
  5. 5. Education and Training 2.9
  6. 6. Public Safety and Security 2.9
National median after O*NET task lead
$35,360
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Place food servings on plates or trays according to orders or instructions
$35K
National median
↑ +3%
Growth 2024-2034
48,000
Annual openings
293,900
Estimated US jobs
Cooks, Private Household
Highest-pay peer · $48K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education No formal educational credential

Top Paying States for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant

1. District of Columbia $37,920
2. Vermont $37,540
3. New York $39,370
4. Maine $37,680
5. Hawaii $37,920
6. Alaska $38,090
7. California $39,010
8. North Dakota $36,910
9. Colorado $38,900
10. Washington $38,870

Other Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations titles

  1. 1. Cooks, All Other $37,690
  2. 2. Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop $31,200
  3. 3. Cooks, Private Household $47,940
  4. 4. Cooks, Restaurant $37,390
  5. 5. Cooks, Short Order $35,880
  6. 6. Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers $33,980

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant (SOC 35-3041). The national OEWS median is $35,360 inside Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Cooks, Private Household, Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop, Cooks, All Other, Cooks, Restaurant. Lead published task: Place food servings on plates or trays according to orders or instructions.

Employment Projections expect +3% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 48,000 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns No formal educational credential as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: District of Columbia at $37,920. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Cooks, Private Household at $47,940. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Food Servers, Nonrestaurant pay-rank #9 in Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations

Food Servers, Nonrestaurant sits at pay-rank #9 of 17 detailed Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 35-3041 · national median $35,360 · middle third of Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations (#9/17). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Food Servers, Nonrestaurant salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 35-3041

District of Columbia · top state for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant

$38K published median

Vermont · #2 state pay

$38K · behind District of Columbia

Cooks, Private Household

Highest-pay peer vs Food Servers, Nonrestaurant · $48K

Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop

Lower-pay peer beside Food Servers, Nonrestaurant · $31K

Compare Food Servers, Nonrestaurant

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Food Servers, Nonrestaurant with another occupation →

Role and task next reads

Food Servers, Nonrestaurant full salary map

State and metro OEWS after the task lead

Compare tasks and pay

Side-by-side with another occupation

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Food Servers, Nonrestaurant mid-table among Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #9 of 17 detailed Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Food Preparation Workers ($35K), Waiters and Waitresses ($35K), Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other ($36K), Cooks, Short Order ($36K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do food servers, nonrestaurant do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant. Leading ones include: Place food servings on plates or trays according to orders or instructions; Clean or sterilize dishes, kitchen utensils, equipment, or facilities; Monitor food distribution, ensuring that meals are delivered to the correct recipients and that guidelines, such as those for special die…; Examine trays to ensure that they contain required items. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for food servers, nonrestaurant? ▼
For SOC 35-3041, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (3.0), Speaking (3.0), Service Orientation (3.0), Reading Comprehension (2.9). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Food Production. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $35,360 as the national median for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant. The published 10th-90th range is $28,030 to $46,120. Beside Cooks, Private Household ($47,940), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant is +3%. Projected annual openings: about 48,000. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Food Servers, Nonrestaurant? ▼
BLS assigns No formal educational credential as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant? ▼
District of Columbia ($37,920), Vermont ($37,540), New York ($39,370) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Food Servers, Nonrestaurant card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 35-3041. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics