National Salary Info » Food and Beverage Serving Workers

Highest Paying Industries for Food and Beverage Serving Workers

The top 100 highest paying industries for food and beverage serving workers (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment in those industries are also shown. As shown in the table, with an average annual salary of $41,500, rail transportation is the highest paying industry for food and beverage serving workers. It is followed by elementary and secondary schools - state government owned industry (average annual salary $33,940). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2015 [1]. For more information about salaries of food and beverage serving workers in a specific industry, use the links in the table.

Table 1. 100 Highest Paying Industries for Food and Beverage Serving Workers

Rank	Industry	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	Rail Transportation	$41,500	$18,440	190
2	Elementary and Secondary Schools - State government owned	$33,940	$20,430	430
3	Federal government, including USPS	$31,350	$20,840	8,060
4	Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation)	$31,350	$20,840	8,060
5	Legal Services	$29,380	$17,260	60
6	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - State government owned	$26,280	$18,220	1,360
7	Junior colleges - State government owned	$25,810	$17,120	380
8	State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	$25,760	$19,190	4,530
9	Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing	$25,740	$17,870	40
10	Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing	$25,590	$17,680	40
11	Hospitals - State government owned	$25,570	$17,690	3,510
12	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals - State government owned	$25,560	$17,630	1,690
13	Other General Merchandise Stores	$25,300	$17,720	23,610
14	Beer, Wine, and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers	$24,820	$18,060	80
15	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals	$24,750	$17,540	2,300
16	Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land	$24,050	$18,050	390
17	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - Local government owned	$23,970	$17,220	6,850
18	Hospitals - Local government owned	$23,970	$17,220	6,850
19	State government, including schools and hospitals	$23,850	$17,370	17,160
20	Federal, State, and Local Government (OES Designation)	$23,610	$17,130	29,330
21	Federal, State, and Local Government	$23,610	$17,130	29,330
22	Other Ambulatory Health Care Services	$23,540	$18,220	30
23	Air Transportation	$23,500	$17,740	50
24	Scheduled Air Transportation	$23,370	$17,920	40
25	Hospitals (including private, state, and local government hospitals)	$23,290	$17,520	60,990
26	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	$23,270	$17,530	56,460
27	Casino Hotels	$23,140	$16,810	41,150
28	Specialty hospitals - State government owned	$23,140	$16,860	460
29	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - Privately owned	$23,130	$17,550	48,250
30	Hospitals - Privately owned	$23,120	$17,550	50,630
31	Insurance Carriers	$23,060	$17,750	170
32	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals - Privately owned	$22,970	$17,400	610
33	Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	$22,870	$17,320	2,230
34	Specialty hospitals - Privately owned	$22,840	$17,490	1,770
35	Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists	$22,800	$17,390	160
36	Offices of Other Health Practitioners	$22,800	$17,460	170
37	Other Personal Services	$22,660	$17,160	1,680
38	Furniture Stores	$22,540	$18,120	650
39	Construction of Buildings	$22,540	$17,500	80
40	Offices of Physicians	$22,250	$17,260	740
41	Technical and trade schools - Privately owned	$22,240	$17,030	220
42	Technical and Trade Schools	$22,210	$17,050	250
43	Educational Services - State government owned	$22,200	$17,080	9,110
44	Water Transportation	$21,990	$17,390	110
45	General Merchandise Stores	$21,950	$16,980	41,590
46	Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers	$21,790	$17,040	430
47	Oil and Gas Extraction	$21,730	$16,270	40
48	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - State government owned	$21,580	$17,050	8,280
49	Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services	$21,560	$17,330	510
50	Junior Colleges (including private, state, and local government schools)	$21,550	$16,780	1,390
51	Insurance Carriers and Related Activities	$21,480	$17,280	200
52	Finance and Insurance	$21,320	$17,210	310
53	Public sector -- Federal, state, and local government, including government owned schools and hospit	$21,170	$16,830	231,400
54	Transportation and Warehousing	$21,110	$17,000	2,710
55	Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	$21,100	$16,960	14,580
56	Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences	$21,100	$17,120	250
57	Scientific Research and Development Services	$21,100	$17,120	250
58	Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities	$21,100	$17,190	70
59	Land Subdivision	$21,100	$16,370	100
60	Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction	$21,100	$16,370	100
61	Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation	$21,020	$17,320	90
62	Personal and Laundry Services	$21,010	$16,810	2,270
63	Elementary and Secondary Schools - Local government owned	$21,010	$16,750	161,660
64	Educational Services - Local government owned	$21,010	$16,750	162,840
65	Educational Services	$21,010	$16,770	185,290
66	Elementary and Secondary Schools	$21,000	$16,760	167,900
67	Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services	$20,980	$17,020	410
68	Ambulatory Health Care Services	$20,890	$16,960	2,190
69	Investigation, Guard, and Armored Car Services	$20,850	$16,280	50
70	Investigation and Security Services	$20,850	$16,280	50
71	Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing	$20,820	$16,200	60
72	Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation	$20,790	$17,020	1,940
73	Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities	$20,770	$17,120	850
74	Local government, including schools and hospitals	$20,720	$16,750	206,180
75	Mining	$20,720	$16,200	60
76	Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services	$20,640	$16,650	1,720
77	Grocery Stores	$20,640	$16,900	137,730
78	Animal Slaughtering and Processing	$20,610	$16,890	190
79	Furniture and Home Furnishings Stores	$20,540	$17,180	1,280
80	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - Privately owned	$20,430	$16,810	6,170
81	Educational Services - Privately owned	$20,310	$16,830	13,330
82	Facilities Support Services	$20,290	$16,860	2,200
83	Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging	$20,290	$17,340	50
84	Elementary and Secondary Schools - Privately owned	$20,210	$16,870	5,810
85	Other schools and instruction - Privately owned	$20,190	$16,710	1,040
86	Health Care and Social Assistance	$20,180	$16,840	208,940
87	Other Schools and Instruction	$20,180	$16,710	1,050
88	Food and Beverage Stores	$20,160	$16,880	162,790
89	Other Support Services	$20,120	$16,600	730
90	Credit Intermediation and Related Activities	$20,040	$16,950	40
91	Junior colleges - Local government owned	$19,890	$16,680	1,010
92	Temporary Help Services	$19,870	$16,770	24,670
93	Vocational Rehabilitation Services	$19,860	$16,840	1,100
94	Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers	$19,790	$17,290	400
95	Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities	$19,790	$16,770	1,750
96	Outpatient Care Centers	$19,720	$17,120	670
97	Retail Trade	$19,680	$16,710	262,570
98	Miscellaneous Nondurable Goods Merchant Wholesalers	$19,680	$16,940	50
99	Labor Unions and Similar Labor Organizations	$19,640	$17,010	70
100	Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	$19,610	$16,610	16,740