Management Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 11-9051

Food Service Managers

Median pay sits 54% below the mid peer in Management Occupations (neighbors include Natural Sciences Managers, Training and Development Managers, Managers, All Other, Purchasing Managers).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Food Service Managers: Natural Sciences Managers ($167K) , Training and Development Managers ($133K) , Managers, All Other ($142K) , Purchasing Managers ($148K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Food Service Managers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 11-9051 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Monitor employee and patron activities to ensure liquor regulations are obeyed
  2. 2. Greet guests, escort them to their seats, and present them with menus and wine lists
  3. 3. Count money and make bank deposits
  4. 4. Establish standards for personnel performance and customer service
  5. 5. Keep records required by government agencies regarding sanitation or food subsidies
  6. 6. Schedule staff hours and assign duties
  7. 7. Investigate and resolve complaints regarding food quality, service, or accommodations
  8. 8. Maintain food and equipment inventories, and keep inventory records
  9. 9. Perform some food preparation or service tasks, such as cooking, clearing tables, and serving food and drinks when necessary
  10. 10. Monitor budgets and payroll records, and review financial transactions to ensure that expenditures are authorized and budgeted
  11. 11. Schedule and receive food and beverage deliveries, checking delivery contents to verify product quality and quantity
  12. 12. Coordinate assignments of cooking personnel to ensure economical use of food and timely preparation

Food Service Managers: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 11-9051 - lead skill Active Listening at 3.9 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 3.9
  2. 2. Speaking 3.9
  3. 3. Monitoring 3.9
  4. 4. Coordination 3.9
  5. 5. Management of Personnel Resources 3.9
  6. 6. Reading Comprehension 3.8
  7. 7. Service Orientation 3.8
  8. 8. Critical Thinking 3.6

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.5
  2. 2. Administration and Management 4.1
  3. 3. Food Production 4.0
  4. 4. English Language 3.5
  5. 5. Personnel and Human Resources 3.5
  6. 6. Sales and Marketing 3.4
Pay vs Management Occupations peers
-54%
vs mid peer median $149,230
This role $69,390/yr
$69K
National median
↑ +6%
Growth 2024-2034
42,000
Annual openings
238,430
Estimated US jobs
Natural Sciences Managers
Highest-pay peer · $167K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent
Related experience Less than 5 years

Top Paying States for Food Service Managers

1. Washington $95,190
2. Minnesota $79,820
3. Hawaii $87,800
4. Colorado $79,870
5. Alaska $82,030
6. District of Columbia $81,680
7. Virgin Islands $80,570
8. New York $84,200
9. Massachusetts $92,240
10. Rhode Island $82,850

Other Management Occupations titles

  1. 1. Managers, All Other $141,900
  2. 2. Training and Development Managers $133,000
  3. 3. Purchasing Managers $148,080
  4. 4. Natural Sciences Managers $167,220
  5. 5. Compensation and Benefits Managers $149,230
  6. 6. Marketing Managers $166,790

Among Management Occupations peers on this card, Food Service Managers sits 54% below the mid peer median ($149,230). Its own median is $69,390.

Employment Projections expect +6% change between 2024 and 2034 (faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 42,000 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry and less than 5 years as the typical related-work-experience category. 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: Washington at $95,190. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Natural Sciences Managers at $167,220. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Food Service Managers pay-rank #35 in Management Occupations

On the Management Occupations median table (37 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Food Service Managers lands at #35, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third 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 11-9051 · national median $69,390 · lower third of Management Occupations (#35/37). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Food Service Managers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 11-9051

Washington · top state for Food Service Managers

$95K published median

Minnesota · #2 state pay

$80K · behind Washington

Natural Sciences Managers

Highest-pay peer vs Food Service Managers · $167K

Training and Development Managers

Lower-pay peer beside Food Service Managers · $133K

Compare Food Service Managers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Food Service Managers with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Food Service Managers

Against another occupation

Natural Sciences Managers card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Food Service Managers land on the Management Occupations median table? ▼
Food Service Managers is pay-rank #35 of 37 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Lodging Managers ($69K), Personal Service Managers, All Other ($70K), Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers ($70K), Funeral Home Managers ($79K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do food service managers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Food Service Managers. Leading ones include: Monitor employee and patron activities to ensure liquor regulations are obeyed; Greet guests, escort them to their seats, and present them with menus and wine lists; Count money and make bank deposits; Establish standards for personnel performance and customer service. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for food service managers? ▼
For SOC 11-9051, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (3.9), Speaking (3.9), Monitoring (3.9), Coordination (3.9). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Food Production. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Food Service Managers? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $69,390 as the national median for Food Service Managers. The published 10th-90th range is $45,960 to $107,640. Beside Natural Sciences Managers ($167,220), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Food Service Managers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Food Service Managers is +6%. Projected annual openings: about 42,000. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Food Service Managers? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Food Service Managers. Related-work-experience category: less than 5 years. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Food Service Managers? ▼
Washington ($95,190), Minnesota ($79,820), Hawaii ($87,800) 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 Service Managers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 11-9051. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Food Service Managers. 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