Food Jobs & Pay in Tennessee
About 329,180 people in Tennessee 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 | 90,690 | $27,470 | $21,850 – $35,060 | $31,200 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 52,120 | $27,760 | $15,080 – $47,660 | $35,230 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | 29,100 | $40,500 | $29,500 – $63,140 | $44,080 |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 28,220 | $36,420 | $27,910 – $45,650 | $37,390 |
| Food Preparation Workers | 19,780 | $28,700 | $22,290 – $39,660 | $35,320 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 14,020 | $28,330 | $20,380 – $38,330 | $30,890 |
| Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | 11,330 | $29,470 | $21,220 – $37,420 | $33,980 |
| Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | 11,280 | $27,490 | $20,180 – $35,770 | $31,200 |
| Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | 10,680 | $35,570 | $27,830 – $45,430 | $37,450 |
| Bartenders | 10,330 | $27,480 | $15,970 – $52,740 | $34,340 |
| Dishwashers | 7,810 | $30,530 | $22,900 – $38,580 | $34,810 |
| Food Servers, Nonrestaurant | 5,230 | $30,670 | $22,620 – $46,750 | $35,360 |
| Chefs and Head Cooks | 3,820 | $69,810 | $45,410 – $98,860 | $62,470 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other | 2,670 | $36,640 | $22,990 – $40,370 | $35,840 |
| Cooks, Short Order | 2,510 | $30,210 | $22,880 – $39,240 | $35,880 |
| Cooks, All Other | 2,060 | $36,440 | $22,030 – $38,950 | $37,690 |
Food processing
| Job | Workers | Median pay | Typical range (10th–90th) | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakers | 5,200 | $34,440 | $22,380 – $46,400 | $37,160 |
| Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers | 2,970 | $37,590 | $28,090 – $44,220 | $38,300 |
| Food Batchmakers | 2,920 | $42,610 | $34,850 – $56,570 | $42,290 |
| Butchers and Meat Cutters | 2,650 | $39,960 | $26,520 – $47,710 | $40,140 |
| Food Processing Workers, All Other | 1,910 | $42,690 | $35,900 – $50,610 | $39,680 |
| Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders | 1,820 | $45,620 | $35,100 – $62,560 | $41,590 |
| Slaughterers and Meat Packers | 650 | $35,790 | $29,770 – $46,880 | $40,130 |
| Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders | 350 | $39,130 | $31,510 – $55,090 | $44,810 |
Farm & field
| Job | Workers | Median pay | Typical range (10th–90th) | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse | 1,080 | $31,020 | $23,490 – $42,060 | $35,660 |
| Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products | 640 | $36,880 | $34,670 – $41,450 | $35,730 |
| Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals | 450 | $33,720 | $26,550 – $47,560 | $36,670 |
| Agricultural Inspectors | 410 | $47,840 | $40,580 – $61,110 | $49,940 |
| Agricultural Equipment Operators | 390 | $37,750 | $26,380 – $54,070 | $41,730 |
| Agricultural Workers, All Other | 240 | $33,080 | $26,430 – $40,640 | $39,850 |
Science & nutrition
| Job | Workers | Median pay | Typical range (10th–90th) | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dietitians and Nutritionists | 1,230 | $67,620 | $40,860 – $90,200 | $76,400 |
| Food Scientists and Technologists | 70 | $81,760 | $64,660 – $105,670 | $88,720 |
Management
| Job | Workers | Median pay | Typical range (10th–90th) | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food Service Managers | 4,550 | $64,410 | $43,080 – $101,150 | $69,390 |
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.