Food Jobs & Pay in Florida
About 1,078,920 people in Florida work in food-related jobs. Median pay by occupation, with the national median in the last column.
Restaurants & service
| Job | Workers | Median pay | Typical range (10th–90th) | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 235,400 | $29,080 | $27,570 – $36,430 | $31,200 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 207,180 | $36,150 | $27,230 – $63,580 | $35,230 |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 124,040 | $37,020 | $29,710 – $46,450 | $37,390 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | 91,500 | $44,470 | $30,490 – $65,120 | $44,080 |
| Food Preparation Workers | 73,100 | $35,920 | $28,190 – $43,300 | $35,320 |
| Bartenders | 55,170 | $35,150 | $27,430 – $66,400 | $34,340 |
| Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | 50,400 | $33,280 | $27,590 – $45,460 | $33,980 |
| Dishwashers | 40,480 | $31,240 | $28,250 – $37,010 | $34,810 |
| Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | 37,100 | $29,810 | $27,750 – $43,680 | $31,200 |
| Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | 25,100 | $36,250 | $31,650 – $46,520 | $37,450 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 22,600 | $29,900 | $27,460 – $41,400 | $30,890 |
| Chefs and Head Cooks | 19,670 | $58,240 | $31,920 – $92,300 | $62,470 |
| Food Servers, Nonrestaurant | 19,240 | $33,930 | $29,210 – $39,000 | $35,360 |
| Cooks, Short Order | 5,050 | $34,240 | $31,450 – $37,260 | $35,880 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other | 3,900 | $34,200 | $27,040 – $45,750 | $35,840 |
| Cooks, All Other | 710 | $39,520 | $28,510 – $51,680 | $37,690 |
Food processing
| Job | Workers | Median pay | Typical range (10th–90th) | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakers | 12,320 | $35,870 | $28,780 – $45,330 | $37,160 |
| Butchers and Meat Cutters | 10,590 | $42,790 | $29,640 – $49,160 | $40,140 |
| Food Batchmakers | 3,670 | $35,500 | $28,680 – $50,090 | $42,290 |
| Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers | 2,310 | $31,160 | $27,240 – $46,170 | $38,300 |
| Food Processing Workers, All Other | 1,050 | $41,390 | $37,360 – $55,560 | $39,680 |
| Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders | 970 | $36,450 | $29,800 – $47,550 | $41,590 |
| Slaughterers and Meat Packers | 400 | $34,430 | $28,680 – $39,420 | $40,130 |
| Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders | 360 | $35,340 | $27,510 – $48,120 | $44,810 |
Farm & field
| Job | Workers | Median pay | Typical range (10th–90th) | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse | 9,180 | $30,640 | $27,770 – $44,660 | $35,660 |
| Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products | 880 | $27,470 | $27,040 – $35,360 | $35,730 |
| Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals | 820 | $36,790 | $29,730 – $52,540 | $36,670 |
| Agricultural Equipment Operators | 790 | $36,660 | $30,060 – $50,260 | $41,730 |
| Agricultural Inspectors | 520 | $43,990 | $35,360 – $63,270 | $49,940 |
| Agricultural Workers, All Other | 100 | $33,280 | $31,200 – $41,600 | $39,850 |
Science & nutrition
| Job | Workers | Median pay | Typical range (10th–90th) | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dietitians and Nutritionists | 4,370 | $76,050 | $49,920 – $93,530 | $76,400 |
| Food Science Technicians | 250 | $58,500 | $37,620 – $91,820 | $52,130 |
| Food Scientists and Technologists | 170 | $101,160 | $48,090 – $139,480 | $88,720 |
Management
| Job | Workers | Median pay | Typical range (10th–90th) | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food Service Managers | 18,500 | $72,790 | $45,800 – $113,940 | $69,390 |
| Farm and Home Management Educators | 710 | $49,090 | $35,420 – $78,540 | $60,220 |
| Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers | 320 | $87,080 | $53,720 – $186,940 | $89,900 |
| Farm Labor Contractors | — | $79,590 | $73,070 – $80,760 | $58,460 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, most recent annual estimate. Some occupations are suppressed in smaller states and are omitted. Median pay is the middle of the wage distribution; employment counts exclude the self-employed. Labour-market data, not job listings.