722513/Limited-Service Restaurants
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
4.97M
employees, 2023
4.97M
employees, 2023
In 2023, 270,088 US Limited-Service Restaurants business locations employed 4.97 million people and paid $103.6 billion in annual payroll, $20,857 per employee on average. Employment was up 5.4% from 2022. California had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
270,088
+1.9% vs 2022
Employees
4,965,080
+5.4% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$103.6B
+10.1% vs 2022
Average pay
$20,857
+4.5% 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 Limited-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 | 34,527 | 604,758 | $25,204 | 3.69% |
| Texas | 24,360 | 545,407 | $20,019 | 4.54% |
| Florida | 15,969 | 296,500 | $20,224 | 2.97% |
| New York | 17,791 | 207,613 | $24,336 | 2.37% |
| Ohio | 10,404 | 204,250 | $18,198 | 4.02% |
| Illinois | 10,622 | 189,552 | $21,107 | 3.35% |
| Georgia | 9,735 | 189,341 | $18,594 | 4.30% |
| North Carolina | 8,502 | 185,475 | $18,877 | 4.33% |
| Michigan | 7,923 | 143,754 | $19,007 | 3.56% |
| Pennsylvania | 9,802 | 139,513 | $18,618 | 2.44% |
| Virginia | 7,145 | 134,359 | $20,229 | 3.75% |
| Tennessee | 5,735 | 124,268 | $19,249 | 4.18% |
| Arizona | 5,713 | 120,520 | $21,951 | 4.17% |
| Indiana | 5,396 | 116,100 | $17,803 | 3.97% |
| Missouri | 4,814 | 98,624 | $19,516 | 3.75% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Limited-Service Restaurants employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 12,756 | 218,098 | $25,992 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 18,189 | 193,213 | $25,506 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 7,167 | 152,830 | $20,685 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 8,179 | 139,869 | $21,900 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 5,768 | 129,426 | $19,549 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 5,712 | 106,071 | $19,263 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 5,579 | 96,399 | $23,245 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 4,054 | 86,592 | $22,223 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 3,907 | 77,317 | $23,123 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 4,527 | 75,815 | $21,551 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 5,140 | 67,214 | $20,593 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 3,764 | 63,821 | $19,678 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 4,140 | 59,849 | $28,572 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 3,086 | 55,315 | $24,940 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 2,618 | 52,606 | $21,401 |
Business size
US Limited-Service Restaurants business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 65,630 | 24.3% |
| 5 to 9 | 43,726 | 16.2% |
| 10 to 19 | 66,562 | 24.6% |
| 20 to 49 | 76,693 | 28.4% |
| 50 to 99 | 15,345 | 5.7% |
| 100 to 249 | 2,002 | 0.7% |
| 250 to 499 | 106 | 0.0% |
| 500 to 999 | 21 | 0.0% |
| 1,000 or more | 3 | 0.0% |
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 Limited-Service Restaurants in the US?
4.97 million people worked at 270,088 US Limited-Service Restaurants business locations in 2023, up 5.4% from 2022. That is 3.55% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Limited-Service Restaurants?
$20,857 a year per employee in 2023, from $103.6 billion in annual payroll (up 4.5% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Limited-Service Restaurants jobs?
California had the most, with 604,758 employees in 2023, followed by Texas (545,407) and Florida (296,500).
Which metro areas have the most Limited-Service Restaurants jobs?
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (218,098), New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (193,213), Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (152,830) had the most Limited-Service Restaurants employees in 2023.
Are most Limited-Service Restaurants businesses small?
65.1% of the 270,088 Limited-Service Restaurants business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 24 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.