72/Accommodation and Food Services
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
14.6M
employees, 2023
14.6M
employees, 2023
In 2023, 784,882 US Accommodation and Food Services business locations employed 14.6 million people and paid $393.2 billion in annual payroll, $26,914 per employee on average. Employment was up 5.9% from 2022. California had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
784,882
+1.7% vs 2022
Employees
14,608,170
+5.9% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$393.2B
+11.3% vs 2022
Average pay
$26,914
+5.1% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Accommodation and Food Services in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 95,952 | 1,788,988 | $31,854 | 10.90% |
| Texas | 66,844 | 1,355,419 | $24,087 | 11.28% |
| Florida | 48,853 | 1,048,633 | $28,507 | 10.50% |
| New York | 55,397 | 794,079 | $33,779 | 9.06% |
| Illinois | 30,226 | 523,877 | $27,086 | 9.25% |
| Ohio | 25,953 | 496,313 | $21,178 | 9.77% |
| North Carolina | 24,293 | 477,208 | $22,867 | 11.15% |
| Georgia | 24,406 | 475,652 | $23,210 | 10.80% |
| Pennsylvania | 29,187 | 474,507 | $23,246 | 8.30% |
| Michigan | 21,720 | 394,668 | $23,539 | 9.77% |
| Virginia | 19,418 | 368,252 | $25,101 | 10.28% |
| Arizona | 15,040 | 343,720 | $27,991 | 11.89% |
| New Jersey | 22,712 | 339,307 | $29,030 | 8.60% |
| Tennessee | 15,443 | 321,203 | $24,644 | 10.81% |
| Nevada | 7,979 | 314,186 | $38,138 | 23.36% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Accommodation and Food Services employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 54,166 | 760,526 | $35,020 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 34,060 | 643,243 | $32,172 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 22,059 | 407,576 | $29,074 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 18,161 | 376,127 | $25,725 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 15,903 | 334,373 | $24,040 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 14,604 | 301,212 | $31,502 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 14,138 | 291,897 | $31,255 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 14,416 | 283,145 | $24,591 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | 5,780 | 264,881 | $39,403 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 9,939 | 239,750 | $28,658 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 12,952 | 236,059 | $33,450 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 14,064 | 229,150 | $25,664 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 13,736 | 222,923 | $35,872 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 8,938 | 189,090 | $29,232 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 8,380 | 183,896 | $34,061 |
Business size
US Accommodation and Food Services business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 235,702 | 30.0% |
| 5 to 9 | 137,389 | 17.5% |
| 10 to 19 | 173,722 | 22.1% |
| 20 to 49 | 181,438 | 23.1% |
| 50 to 99 | 44,929 | 5.7% |
| 100 to 249 | 10,022 | 1.3% |
| 250 to 499 | 1,045 | 0.1% |
| 500 to 999 | 436 | 0.1% |
| 1,000 or more | 199 | 0.0% |
Related industries
Accommodation and Food Services and the 2 industries directly below it
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 722 | Food Services and Drinking Places | 12,644,827 | $24,695 |
| 721 | Accommodation | 1,963,343 | $41,207 |
Questions and answers
How many people work in Accommodation and Food Services in the US?
14.6 million people worked at 784,882 US Accommodation and Food Services business locations in 2023, up 5.9% from 2022. That is 10.45% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Accommodation and Food Services?
$26,914 a year per employee in 2023, from $393.2 billion in annual payroll (up 5.1% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Accommodation and Food Services jobs?
California had the most, with 1,788,988 employees in 2023, followed by Texas (1,355,419) and Florida (1,048,633).
Which metro areas have the most Accommodation and Food Services jobs?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (760,526), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (643,243), Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (407,576) had the most Accommodation and Food Services employees in 2023.
Are most Accommodation and Food Services businesses small?
69.7% of the 784,882 Accommodation and Food Services business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 635 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.