7225/Restaurants and Other Eating Places
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
11.4M
employees, 2023
11.4M
employees, 2023
In 2023, 618,476 US Restaurants and Other Eating Places business locations employed 11.4 million people and paid $276.9 billion in annual payroll, $24,280 per employee on average. Employment was up 5.0% from 2022. California had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
618,476
+2.0% vs 2022
Employees
11,406,584
+5.0% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$276.9B
+9.2% vs 2022
Average pay
$24,280
+4.1% 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 Restaurants and Other Eating Places 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 | 79,696 | 1,404,974 | $28,689 | 8.56% |
| Texas | 53,191 | 1,126,293 | $22,659 | 9.38% |
| Florida | 39,216 | 798,469 | $25,217 | 7.99% |
| New York | 44,870 | 598,860 | $30,359 | 6.83% |
| Ohio | 20,682 | 424,932 | $20,355 | 8.36% |
| Illinois | 23,334 | 413,060 | $24,994 | 7.30% |
| Georgia | 20,048 | 395,597 | $21,380 | 8.98% |
| North Carolina | 19,414 | 395,007 | $21,301 | 9.23% |
| Pennsylvania | 22,254 | 364,990 | $20,987 | 6.39% |
| Michigan | 16,941 | 310,151 | $21,521 | 7.67% |
| Virginia | 15,936 | 299,357 | $23,224 | 8.36% |
| Tennessee | 12,351 | 265,577 | $22,607 | 8.94% |
| Arizona | 11,974 | 262,256 | $25,093 | 9.07% |
| New Jersey | 18,701 | 249,796 | $26,709 | 6.33% |
| Indiana | 11,578 | 243,226 | $19,836 | 8.32% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Restaurants and Other Eating Places employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 45,519 | 583,736 | $31,605 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 29,168 | 518,233 | $29,525 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 17,823 | 319,059 | $26,516 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 15,237 | 313,809 | $23,957 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 12,942 | 285,514 | $22,671 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 12,149 | 236,868 | $22,613 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 11,776 | 228,133 | $27,329 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 11,927 | 226,162 | $27,725 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 8,254 | 187,820 | $25,625 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 10,567 | 184,482 | $30,284 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 11,251 | 181,500 | $23,443 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 11,199 | 168,998 | $32,642 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 7,737 | 150,148 | $25,429 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 7,739 | 137,831 | $22,122 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 8,443 | 133,774 | $32,548 |
Business size
US Restaurants and Other Eating Places business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 163,683 | 26.5% |
| 5 to 9 | 106,105 | 17.2% |
| 10 to 19 | 144,641 | 23.4% |
| 20 to 49 | 157,405 | 25.5% |
| 50 to 99 | 39,210 | 6.3% |
| 100 to 249 | 7,172 | 1.2% |
| 250 to 499 | 222 | 0.0% |
| 500 to 999 | 34 | 0.0% |
| 1,000 or more | 4 | 0.0% |
Related industries
Restaurants and Other Eating Places and the 1 industry directly below it
Part of Accommodation and Food Services 72Food Services and Drinking Places 722
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 72251 | Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 11,406,584 | $24,280 |
Questions and answers
How many people work in Restaurants and Other Eating Places in the US?
11.4 million people worked at 618,476 US Restaurants and Other Eating Places business locations in 2023, up 5.0% from 2022. That is 8.16% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Restaurants and Other Eating Places?
$24,280 a year per employee in 2023, from $276.9 billion in annual payroll (up 4.1% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Restaurants and Other Eating Places jobs?
California had the most, with 1,404,974 employees in 2023, followed by Texas (1,126,293) and Florida (798,469).
Which metro areas have the most Restaurants and Other Eating Places jobs?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (583,736), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (518,233), Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (319,059) had the most Restaurants and Other Eating Places employees in 2023.
Are most Restaurants and Other Eating Places businesses small?
67.0% of the 618,476 Restaurants and Other Eating Places business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 38 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.