Food Servers in California

Is California a good place for you to work as a Food Server?

You’re in luck! Jobs for Food Servers in California are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

• Projected employment for Food Servers in California is growing faster than average.

• Food Servers in California earn lower salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

How Many Food Servers Work in California?

There were approximately 23,340 workers employed as Food Servers in this state in 2018.

There were 25,170 Food Servers employed in this state in 2017.

That’s a decline of 1,830 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

The typical state has 3,680 Food Servers working in it, which means California has more Food Servers than average.

Job Projections for California

Jobs for Food Servers in this state are growing at a rate of 12.0% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 10.2%.

California Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates there will be 4,180 annual job openings, and 28,100 total jobs in 2026 for Food Servers in this state.

Nationwide, the prediction is 43,100 annual jobs and 290,700 total jobs in 2026.

What do Food Servers Make in California?

In 2018 wages for Food Servers ranged from $22,660 to $45,700 with $26,040 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $10.9 to $21.97. The median hourly rate was $12.52.

Workers in this field were paid a median of $12.09 an hour in 2017.

The hourly rate grew by $0.43.

The median salary in California is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top California Metros for Food Servers

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Food Servers.

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	8,200	$26,370
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	3,330	$29,930
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA	2,300	$24,540
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	1,880	$28,970
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	1,630	$25,600
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA	1,480	$24,620
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	570	$24,680
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	450	$24,780
Stockton-Lodi, CA	430	$25,670
Fresno, CA	400	$25,340
Salinas, CA	350	$25,430
Santa Rosa, CA	260	$27,340
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA	230	$24,550
Visalia-Porterville, CA	190	$24,030
Bakersfield, CA	170	$24,800
Modesto, CA	170	$28,580
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA	140	$24,890
Merced, CA	110	$23,620
Napa, CA	100	$26,400
Redding, CA	70	$26,680
Madera, CA	70	$25,520
El Centro, CA	30	$23,690

Top States for Food Servers Employment

The table below shows the states where most Food Servers work.

State	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
California	23,340	$26,040
Texas	20,130	$19,840
New York	17,310	$31,730
Florida	16,190	$20,200
Illinois	14,070	$22,760
Ohio	13,930	$20,740
New Jersey	11,920	$23,950
Pennsylvania	11,260	$22,410
Michigan	8,090	$23,720
Minnesota	8,020	$25,830
North Carolina	7,900	$20,040
Colorado	7,340	$24,350
Virginia	6,990	$21,410
Indiana	6,450	$22,440
Tennessee	6,310	$20,420
Massachusetts	6,170	$26,440
Maryland	5,710	$22,990
Missouri	5,700	$20,840
Arizona	5,550	$23,030
Georgia	5,480	$19,870

Below are the states where Food Servers get paid the most:

State	Annual Median Salary
Hawaii	$35,240
New York	$31,730
District of Columbia	$29,520
North Dakota	$27,400
Vermont	$27,210
South Dakota	$26,610
Massachusetts	$26,440
Connecticut	$26,220
Alaska	$26,040
California	$26,040

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online

More about our data sources and methodologies.