Food Servers in Virginia

Get the information you need to know about working as a Food Server.

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

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

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

How Many Food Servers Work in Virginia?

There were approximately 6,990 workers employed as Food Servers in this state in 2018.

There were 7,820 Food Servers employed in this state in 2017.

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

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

Job Projections for Virginia

Jobs for Food Servers in this state are growing at a rate of 14.0% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 10.2%.

Virginia Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates there will be 1,390 annual job openings, and 9,340 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 Virginia?

In 2018 wages for Food Servers ranged from $17,020 to $28,930 with $21,410 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $8.18 to $13.91. The median hourly rate was $10.3.

Workers in this field were paid a median of $9.78 an hour in 2017.

The hourly rate grew by $0.52.

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

Top Virginia 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
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	5,100	$26,570
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC	1,550	$20,680
Richmond, VA	1,470	$21,560
Charlottesville, VA	400	$21,900
Lynchburg, VA	280	$21,630
Roanoke, VA	280	$22,000
Harrisonburg, VA	260	$21,110
Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA	150	$19,470
Staunton-Waynesboro, VA	110	$21,850
Winchester, VA-WV	90	$23,210

Top States for Food Servers Employment

View the list below to see 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.