Food Jobs & Pay in Illinois
About 561,110 people in Illinois 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 | 127,590 | $33,910 | $31,200 – $37,330 | $31,200 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 72,900 | $31,200 | $31,200 – $49,470 | $35,230 |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 53,540 | $37,580 | $31,200 – $46,460 | $37,390 |
| Bartenders | 43,010 | $31,200 | $31,200 – $46,520 | $34,340 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | 41,030 | $39,470 | $32,010 – $65,000 | $44,080 |
| Food Preparation Workers | 34,820 | $34,850 | $31,200 – $44,990 | $35,320 |
| Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | 22,840 | $37,440 | $31,200 – $48,130 | $37,450 |
| Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | 21,290 | $31,200 | $31,200 – $38,110 | $33,980 |
| Food Servers, Nonrestaurant | 17,560 | $35,080 | $31,200 – $41,960 | $35,360 |
| Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | 16,500 | $31,200 | $31,200 – $44,720 | $31,200 |
| Dishwashers | 16,250 | $36,180 | $31,200 – $42,270 | $34,810 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 13,430 | $34,960 | $31,200 – $40,580 | $30,890 |
| Chefs and Head Cooks | 8,290 | $58,830 | $40,330 – $88,420 | $62,470 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other | 2,720 | $38,880 | $31,200 – $56,000 | $35,840 |
| Cooks, Short Order | 2,630 | $37,440 | $31,200 – $45,950 | $35,880 |
| Cooks, All Other | — | $35,940 | $35,940 – $57,310 | $37,690 |
Food processing
| Job | Workers | Median pay | Typical range (10th–90th) | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakers | 12,420 | $37,030 | $31,200 – $47,290 | $37,160 |
| Food Batchmakers | 12,320 | $48,130 | $34,680 – $61,750 | $42,290 |
| Butchers and Meat Cutters | 7,710 | $39,240 | $33,630 – $52,220 | $40,140 |
| Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers | 4,040 | $40,690 | $35,750 – $47,390 | $38,300 |
| Slaughterers and Meat Packers | 3,360 | $44,950 | $33,970 – $49,910 | $40,130 |
| Food Processing Workers, All Other | 2,760 | $45,340 | $36,710 – $50,440 | $39,680 |
| Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders | 2,460 | $42,670 | $32,480 – $51,320 | $41,590 |
| Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders | 440 | $38,230 | $36,300 – $56,710 | $44,810 |
Farm & field
| Job | Workers | Median pay | Typical range (10th–90th) | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse | 2,850 | $41,050 | $31,700 – $51,010 | $35,660 |
| Agricultural Equipment Operators | 1,910 | $46,050 | $37,660 – $58,300 | $41,730 |
| Agricultural Inspectors | 470 | $62,000 | $44,130 – $93,590 | $49,940 |
| Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals | 450 | $33,840 | $31,200 – $49,240 | $36,670 |
| Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products | 220 | $41,670 | $36,270 – $46,910 | $35,730 |
Science & nutrition
| Job | Workers | Median pay | Typical range (10th–90th) | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dietitians and Nutritionists | 2,840 | $73,520 | $51,330 – $115,190 | $76,400 |
| Food Scientists and Technologists | 780 | $94,340 | $63,730 – $166,670 | $88,720 |
| Food Science Technicians | 290 | $60,820 | $46,860 – $104,280 | $52,130 |
Management
| Job | Workers | Median pay | Typical range (10th–90th) | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food Service Managers | 11,270 | $63,930 | $36,390 – $101,960 | $69,390 |
| Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers | 120 | $99,440 | $64,810 – $147,020 | $89,900 |
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.