Food Servers, Nonrestaurant Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of nonrestaurant food servers to grow 4.5% from 2025 to 2035 (about 13,300 more jobs), with about 48,800 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $35,360 a year ranks 801st of 825 occupations.
- Projected change
- +4.5%
- Openings a year
- 48,800
- Median pay
- $35,360
- Pay rank
- 801st of 825
Is employment of nonrestaurant food servers growing or shrinking?
Growing: BLS projects employment of nonrestaurant food servers to rise 4.5% (about 13,300 more jobs) from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is about the same as the +4.4% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 17 food preparation and serving related occupations with a projection. That change ranks 271st of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 296,300 |
| Employment, 2035 | 309,600 |
| Projected change | +4.5% |
| Openings a year | 48,800 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 296,300 jobs here differ from the 293,900 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 48,800 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 84th most of 830 occupations. About 97% of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 1,330 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for nonrestaurant food servers rank?
The median of $35,360 a year ranks 801st of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the upper half of occupations on openings and the lower half on pay.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: no formal educational credential.
- Typical on-the-job training: short-term on-the-job training.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | +5.3% | 95,300 | $33,980 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | +5.8% | 827,400 | $31,200 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | +2.0% | 423,100 | $35,230 |
| Food Preparation Workers | -3.0% | 135,700 | $35,320 |
| Dishwashers | -1.0% | 68,900 | $34,810 |
| Cooks, Restaurant | +12.1% | 218,600 | $37,390 |
| Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | +3.4% | 107,100 | $31,200 |
| Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | +2.8% | 62,900 | $37,450 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.