722511/Full-Service Restaurants
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
5.39M
employees, 2023
5.39M
employees, 2023
In 2023, 258,626 US Full-Service Restaurants business locations employed 5.39 million people and paid $150.9 billion in annual payroll, $28,018 per employee on average. Employment was up 3.4% from 2022. California had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
258,626
+0.5% vs 2022
Employees
5,387,020
+3.4% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$150.9B
+7.7% vs 2022
Average pay
$28,018
+4.2% 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 Full-Service Restaurants 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 | 31,333 | 628,541 | $33,101 | 3.83% |
| Texas | 20,819 | 493,197 | $26,056 | 4.11% |
| Florida | 18,200 | 444,025 | $29,144 | 4.45% |
| New York | 19,661 | 321,790 | $35,200 | 3.67% |
| Pennsylvania | 9,433 | 190,674 | $23,152 | 3.34% |
| Ohio | 7,698 | 188,916 | $23,139 | 3.72% |
| Illinois | 9,928 | 188,628 | $29,404 | 3.33% |
| North Carolina | 8,543 | 179,683 | $24,319 | 4.20% |
| Georgia | 7,925 | 175,639 | $24,955 | 3.99% |
| Michigan | 7,198 | 146,525 | $24,254 | 3.63% |
| Virginia | 7,154 | 142,779 | $26,574 | 3.99% |
| Massachusetts | 6,558 | 133,020 | $34,039 | 3.81% |
| New Jersey | 8,060 | 129,043 | $30,635 | 3.27% |
| Tennessee | 4,962 | 121,246 | $26,693 | 4.08% |
| Arizona | 4,464 | 115,968 | $29,312 | 4.01% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Full-Service Restaurants employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 19,706 | 318,739 | $36,716 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 11,133 | 237,368 | $33,881 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 7,371 | 149,532 | $31,505 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 5,669 | 136,247 | $28,334 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 5,201 | 133,839 | $26,079 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 5,621 | 131,541 | $32,133 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 4,821 | 112,604 | $31,617 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 4,920 | 111,102 | $26,552 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 4,652 | 104,689 | $33,909 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 4,454 | 95,642 | $26,287 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 5,136 | 86,434 | $37,233 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 2,902 | 81,960 | $30,304 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 3,876 | 65,711 | $37,758 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 3,191 | 65,669 | $24,693 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 2,650 | 63,776 | $33,217 |
Business size
US Full-Service Restaurants business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 67,995 | 26.3% |
| 5 to 9 | 44,203 | 17.1% |
| 10 to 19 | 54,634 | 21.1% |
| 20 to 49 | 63,904 | 24.7% |
| 50 to 99 | 22,751 | 8.8% |
| 100 to 249 | 5,024 | 1.9% |
| 250 to 499 | 104 | 0.0% |
| 500 to 999 | 10 | 0.0% |
| 1,000 or more | Not published | - |
Related industries
The industries this code belongs to
Part of Accommodation and Food Services 72Food Services and Drinking Places 722Restaurants and Other Eating Places 7225Restaurants and Other Eating Places 72251
Questions and answers
How many people work in Full-Service Restaurants in the US?
5.39 million people worked at 258,626 US Full-Service Restaurants business locations in 2023, up 3.4% from 2022. That is 3.85% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Full-Service Restaurants?
$28,018 a year per employee in 2023, from $150.9 billion in annual payroll (up 4.2% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Full-Service Restaurants jobs?
California had the most, with 628,541 employees in 2023, followed by Texas (493,197) and Florida (444,025).
Which metro areas have the most Full-Service Restaurants jobs?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (318,739), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (237,368), Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (149,532) had the most Full-Service Restaurants employees in 2023.
Are most Full-Service Restaurants businesses small?
64.5% of the 258,625 Full-Service Restaurants business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 10 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.