Food Service Manager Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of food service managers to grow 5.8% from 2025 to 2035 (about 19,900 more jobs), with about 38,800 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $69,390 a year ranks 320th of 825 occupations.
- Projected change
- +5.8%
- Openings a year
- 38,800
- Median pay
- $69,390
- Pay rank
- 320th of 825
Is employment of food service managers growing or shrinking?
Growing: BLS projects employment of food service managers to rise 5.8% (about 19,900 more jobs) from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is about the same as the +6.2% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 37 management occupations with a projection. That change ranks 177th of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 344,300 |
| Employment, 2035 | 364,200 |
| Projected change | +5.8% |
| Openings a year | 38,800 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 344,300 jobs here differ from the 238,430 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 38,800 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 102nd most of 830 occupations. About 95% of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 1,990 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for food service managers rank?
The median of $69,390 a year ranks 320th of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the upper half of occupations on both pay and openings.
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: high school diploma or equivalent.
- Work experience in a related occupation: less than 5 years.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chefs and Head Cooks | +6.6% | 25,200 | $62,470 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | +5.4% | 171,500 | $44,080 |
| Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | +2.8% | 62,900 | $37,450 |
| Cooks, Restaurant | +12.1% | 218,600 | $37,390 |
| Cooks, Private Household | +5.1% | 5,000 | $47,940 |
| Food Servers, Nonrestaurant | +4.5% | 48,800 | $35,360 |
| Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | +3.4% | 107,100 | $31,200 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | -3.7% | 113,500 | $48,520 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.