Quick answer
The core restaurant industry statistics come from federal data. Food services and drinking places had 12.4 million payroll jobs in October 2026 (BLS), sold $92.9 billion in September 2026 (Census Bureau), and the accommodation and food services quit rate was 5.0% in September 2026, the highest of any industry (BLS JOLTS).
Restaurant industry statistics show a large, young, hourly workforce that turns over faster than any other. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) counted 12,383,700 jobs in food services and drinking places in October 2026, about one in eleven private-sector jobs. Restaurant sales grew 7.0% over the year to September 2026, yet hotel and restaurant quits jumped to 5.0% of employment in a single month. Below are the latest figures on employment, sales, turnover, pay, the workforce and wage enforcement, each tied to its original source.
Restaurant employment statistics
The BLS Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey counts payroll jobs at restaurants, bars, cafeterias, caterers and food trucks (NAICS 722, food services and drinking places). Figures are seasonally adjusted, from the Employment Situation release of November 6, 2026.
- 12,383,700 jobs in food services and drinking places in October 2026 (preliminary), down 7,200 from September.
- Workzenly calculation from BLS data: that is 57,200 more jobs than in October 2025 (12,326,500), a gain of 0.5%, and about 9.1% of the 135,961,000 private-sector jobs.
- The wider accommodation and food services sector had 14,304,100 jobs, and leisure and hospitality 16,964,000.
- The pandemic cut restaurant employment from 12,285,000 in February 2020 to 6,317,300 in April 2020. Workzenly calculation: a loss of about 5.97 million jobs, or 49%. (BLS series CES7072200001)
- October 2026 employment was 98,700 above February 2020 (Workzenly calculation), so the industry has only just passed its pre-pandemic level.
- The National Restaurant Association reports that 9 in 10 restaurants have fewer than 50 employees and 7 in 10 are single-unit operations (NRA national statistics).
| Month | Food services and drinking places jobs |
|---|---|
| February 2020 | 12,285,000 |
| April 2020 | 6,317,300 |
| February 2021 | 10,048,500 |
| February 2022 | 11,527,200 |
| February 2023 | 12,096,600 |
| February 2024 | 12,219,500 |
| February 2025 | 12,198,000 |
| February 2026 | 12,327,700 |
| October 2026 (preliminary) | 12,383,700 |
Source: BLS, Current Employment Statistics, series CES7072200001, all employees, seasonally adjusted.
Counts differ by source. The NRA's 2026 State of the Restaurant Industry projects total industry employment of 15.8 million in 2026, with operators planning about 100,000 new jobs, because it uses a broader restaurant and foodservice definition than NAICS 722. The household survey (CPS) counts 9,286,000 employed people whose main job was in food services in 2025, fewer than CES because CES counts jobs, including second jobs, while CPS counts people.
What this means for employers: Restaurant hiring is barely growing, about 0.5% a year, so most hiring replaces people who left rather than adding staff. With nine in ten restaurants under 50 employees, most of that work falls on owners and general managers, not an HR department.
Restaurant sales and industry size
The Census Bureau's Advance Monthly Retail Trade report for September 2026, released October 15, 2026, gives the most current food service industry statistics on sales. Figures are adjusted for seasonal variation but not for price changes.
- Food services and drinking places sold $92.9 billion ($92,906 million) in September 2026, up 1.1% from August and 7.0% from September 2025.
- For July through September 2026, restaurant sales were up 6.0% from a year earlier, against 5.5% for all retail and food services.
- Not seasonally adjusted, restaurant sales totaled $807.3 billion in the first nine months of 2026, up 4.4% from the same period of 2025.
- Workzenly calculation: restaurants made up about 12.5% of the $745.0 billion in total retail and food services sales in September 2026.
- The NRA projects $1.55 trillion in 2026 restaurant and foodservice sales, with real (inflation-adjusted) growth of 1.3%. Its definition covers more outlets than the Census category.
- The NRA estimates eating and drinking places directly reported $472.4 billion in total labor income in 2022.
The Census figures are in current dollars, so part of the 7.0% growth is higher menu prices. The NRA's 1.3% real growth projection is a reminder that rising sales do not always mean more customers. The October 2026 Census estimate is scheduled for November 17, 2026.
What this means for employers: Sales are up, but much of the gain is price. Labor is the cost you can plan most closely, so build schedules from expected sales by daypart rather than copying last month's grid.
Restaurant turnover rate
The BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) does not publish a restaurant-only line. Its closest category, accommodation and food services, combines restaurants and bars with hotels; restaurants hold about 87% of its jobs (Workzenly calculation from CES: 12,383,700 of 14,304,100). Rates are monthly, seasonally adjusted, for September 2026 (preliminary) from the release of November 3, 2026.
- The quit rate was 5.0% (719,000 quits), up from 3.4% in September 2025 and the highest of any industry. The rate for all industries was 2.1%. Workzenly calculation: about 2.4 times the national rate. (JOLTS Table 4)
- Total separations, which add layoffs and other exits, were 6.2% (883,000), against 3.3% for all industries. (JOLTS Table 3)
- Hires were 6.1% (879,000), slightly fewer than separations. (JOLTS Table 2)
- Job openings fell to 659,000 (4.4%) from 989,000 (6.5%) a year earlier. (JOLTS Table 1)
- The sector's quit rate peaked at 6.3% in November 2021 and March 2022.
| Measure, September 2026 | Accommodation and food services | Retail trade | All industries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quit rate | 5.0% | 3.1% | 2.1% |
| Total separations rate | 6.2% | 4.1% | 3.3% |
| Hires rate | 6.1% | n/a | 3.4% |
| Job openings rate | 4.4% | n/a | 4.5% |
| Quit rate, September 2025 | 3.4% | 2.0% | 1.9% |
Source: BLS, JOLTS Tables 1 to 4, seasonally adjusted. September 2026 is preliminary. Retail hires and openings were not gathered for this page.
A single month can mislead: the September rate jumped from 3.6% in August. The chart averages the 12 monthly rates for each year to show the trend.
Tenure tells the same story. In January 2026, median tenure with the current employer was 2.2 years in food services and drinking places, against 4.1 years for all wage and salary workers and 3.9 years in the private sector (BLS Employee Tenure, Table 5). That was up from 1.7 years in January 2022. Our employee turnover statistics compare every industry.
What this means for employers: A restaurant that loses 4% to 5% of its staff a month replaces close to half its team over a year, as a rough guide. Measure your own monthly quits against these figures, and look at schedule stability first; our restaurant workforce guide covers the common fixes.
Restaurant wages and tipped pay
The BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey gives pay by job for May 2025, across all industries. OEWS wages include tips but exclude overtime and shift differentials, according to the OEWS FAQ.
- Food preparation and serving related occupations employed 13,680,750 people at a median of $16.85 an hour (mean $17.86), against a median of $24.51 for all occupations.
- The largest restaurant jobs were fast food and counter workers (3,854,050), waiters and waitresses (2,270,910) and restaurant cooks (1,409,890).
- Tipped jobs show a wide gap between mean and median: waiters and waitresses averaged $19.26 against a $16.94 median, and bartenders $19.61 against $16.51, because a minority of servers earn far more in tips.
- CES payroll data put average hourly earnings in food services and drinking places at $22.13 in September 2026 (preliminary), against $37.86 for all private employees (BLS industry profile; Employment Situation Table B-3).
- CES and OEWS differ because CES measures payroll-reported pay in a recent month, while OEWS is a May survey of pay rates by occupation including tips; use one source consistently.
Minimum wage and tipped pay. Under the FLSA, employers can pay tipped employees a cash wage of $2.13 an hour and claim a tip credit of up to $5.12, for employees who regularly receive more than $30 a month in tips, according to the Department of Labor's tipped wage table (revised November 5, 2026). Seven states (Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington) plus Guam require the full state minimum wage before tips. State rates are in our minimum wage by state guide.
In the BLS report Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers, 2024 (June 2025), 843,000 hourly workers, 1.0% of all hourly paid workers, earned at or below the federal $7.25. Leisure and hospitality had the highest share (5.6%), and food preparation and serving occupations accounted for 489,000 of them, or 58.0%. Many are tipped workers whose base cash wage is below $7.25.
What this means for employers: Pay is set by the local market and by state law, not the federal floor. If you take a tip credit, you must be able to show tips brought every employee to the full minimum for each workweek, which means accurate hours and tip records. Premiums for late shifts are covered in our shift differential guide.
Who works in restaurants: restaurant labor statistics
The Current Population Survey (CPS) describes the people who work in food services and drinking places. The 2025 annual averages cover 11 months, because October 2025 data were not collected.
- Age. The median age was 29.2 years, against 42.1 for all employed people. Teens ages 16 to 19 held 1,837,000 restaurant jobs; Workzenly calculation: 19.8% of the workforce, against 3.4% of all workers. Workers under 25 were 41.3%. (CPS Table 18b)
- Women made up 53.3% of food services workers, against 47.1% of all workers. (CPS Table 18)
- Hispanic or Latino workers were 29.7% of the restaurant workforce, against 20.0% overall. Black workers were 13.6% and Asian workers 7.5%.
- Hours. Restaurant employees worked an average of 25.0 hours a week in September 2026 (preliminary), against 34.4 for all private employees. Workzenly calculation: average weekly pay of about $553 at $22.13 an hour. See how many hours is part-time for how employers classify these schedules.
- Unions. 1.8% of food services workers were union members in 2025.
- Career path. The NRA reports that 63% of adults have worked in the restaurant industry and 9 in 10 restaurant managers started in entry-level positions.
What this means for employers: A restaurant workforce is young, part-time and often in school, so availability changes every semester. Child labor rules limit teen hours, and part-time staff often hold a second job. Collect availability in writing, schedule around it, and give schedules early; the restaurant scheduling software guide explains what to look for, and our restaurant scheduling apps roundup compares tools.
Wage violations and workplace safety
The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) lists food services as a low-wage, high-violation industry. Its enforcement data run by federal fiscal year (October to September).
- In fiscal 2025, WHD concluded 4,088 compliance actions in food services, the most of any low-wage, high-violation industry; construction was next with 1,802.
- It found $42,663,929 in back wages for 30,029 employees. Workzenly calculation: about $1,421 per employee.
- Civil money penalties rose to $23,057,822 from $13,612,532 in fiscal 2024, the most of any of these industries.
- Health care ($53.3 million) and construction ($43.4 million) had more back wages, but food services had the second-most employees owed.
| Fiscal year | Compliance actions | Back wages | Employees owed | Civil money penalties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 5,417 | $36,039,626 | 41,863 | $3,482,527 |
| 2020 | 4,647 | $38,675,283 | 39,555 | $3,207,421 |
| 2021 | 4,237 | $34,741,032 | 29,209 | $3,175,537 |
| 2022 | 3,840 | $27,142,447 | 22,531 | $4,034,272 |
| 2023 | 4,095 | $29,648,592 | 25,908 | $6,121,334 |
| 2024 | 3,827 | $35,141,615 | 27,537 | $13,612,532 |
| 2025 | 4,088 | $42,663,929 | 30,029 | $23,057,822 |
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, low-wage, high-violation industries data, food services, FY2019 to FY2025.
Safety. Food services and drinking places had 2.4 recordable injury and illness cases per 100 full-time workers in 2024, and 144 fatal work injuries, according to the BLS industry profile.
What this means for employers: Most restaurant wage cases come down to records: unpaid prep time, missed overtime, tip credits that don't hold up. Accurate clock-ins and timesheets protect you. Our overtime statistics and paid sick leave statistics cover two more rules that trip up restaurants.
About this data
These restaurant industry statistics come from federal sources first. BLS CES and JOLTS are monthly; the figures here are for October and September 2026 and are preliminary until revised. The Census Bureau's advance retail sales are monthly; the next release is November 17, 2026. BLS OEWS is annual (May 2025 data). CPS annual averages are for 2025, Employee Tenure is every two years (January 2026), and the minimum wage worker report is annual (2024 data). DOL WHD enforcement data are by fiscal year (2025). National Restaurant Association figures are industry projections and estimates with a broader definition of the industry, and are labeled as such.
JOLTS rates are the number of quits or separations during the month as a percent of employment. Where we compare, add or average figures, the text labels it as a Workzenly calculation. We review this page when new releases come out. Journalists, students and bloggers are welcome to cite it with a link to this page.
More workforce statistics: Retail industry statistics · Minimum wage statistics · Employee turnover statistics · Wage theft statistics.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Situation, Table B-1, employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry, October 2026 (November 6, 2026). bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t17.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Situation, Tables B-2 and B-3, hours and earnings, October 2026. bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t19.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CES series CES7072200001, food services and drinking places employment, 2019 to 2026. data.bls.gov/timeseries/CES7072200001
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Industries at a Glance: Food Services and Drinking Places, NAICS 722 (data extracted November 10, 2026). bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag722.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS Tables 1 to 4, openings, hires, separations and quits by industry, September 2026 (November 3, 2026). bls.gov/news.release/jolts.t04.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS series JTS720000000000000QUR, accommodation and food services quits rate, 2019 to 2026. data.bls.gov/timeseries/JTS720000000000000QUR
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employee Tenure in 2026, Table 5, median tenure by industry, January 2026. bls.gov/news.release/tenure.t05.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2025, Table 1. bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.t01.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS frequently asked questions (wage definition). bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Tables 18 and 18b, employed persons by industry, sex, race, ethnicity and age, 2025. bls.gov/cps/cpsaat18b.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers, 2024, Report 1115 (June 2025). bls.gov/opub/reports/minimum-wage/2024
- U.S. Census Bureau, Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services, September 2026, CB26-165 (October 15, 2026). census.gov/retail/marts/www/marts_current.pdf
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Low wage, high violation industries: food services, FY2013 to FY2025. dol.gov/agencies/whd/data/charts
- U.S. Department of Labor, Minimum Wages for Tipped Employees (revised November 5, 2026). dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/minimum-wage/tipped
- National Restaurant Association, 2026 State of the Restaurant Industry (February 11, 2026). restaurant.org
- National Restaurant Association, National Statistics. restaurant.org
Frequently asked questions
How many people work in the restaurant industry?
Food services and drinking places had 12,383,700 payroll jobs in October 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), according to the BLS Current Employment Statistics survey. That is about 9% of all private-sector jobs. The National Restaurant Association, which uses a broader definition of the restaurant and foodservice industry, projects 15.8 million jobs in 2026.
What is the restaurant turnover rate?
In September 2026, 5.0% of workers in accommodation and food services quit their jobs, and 6.2% left for any reason, according to the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey released November 3, 2026. These are monthly rates. The quit rate for all industries was 2.1%, so restaurant and hotel workers quit at about 2.4 times the national rate.
How much do restaurant workers make?
The median hourly wage for food preparation and serving occupations was $16.85 in May 2025, including tips, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Medians ranged from $15.00 for fast food and counter workers and hosts to $30.03 for chefs and head cooks. Waiters and waitresses had a median of $16.94.
How big are restaurant sales in the US?
Food services and drinking places sold $92.9 billion in September 2026, seasonally adjusted, up 7.0% from September 2025, according to the Census Bureau advance estimate released October 15, 2026. The National Restaurant Association projects $1.55 trillion in 2026 restaurant and foodservice sales under its broader definition.
What is the tipped minimum wage?
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, employers can pay tipped employees a cash wage of $2.13 an hour and claim a tip credit of up to $5.12, as long as tips bring pay to at least $7.25. Seven states (Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington) and Guam allow no tip credit, according to the Department of Labor.
How common are wage violations in restaurants?
Food services had more Wage and Hour Division compliance actions than any other low-wage, high-violation industry in fiscal year 2025: 4,088 actions, $42.7 million in back wages for 30,029 employees and $23.1 million in civil money penalties, according to the Department of Labor.