Food service managers: how women's and men's pay compare
Among full-time, year-round food service managers in the United States, women had a median of $46,365 in 2024 and men had $56,318. Women's median was 82.3% of men's (margin of error ±2.8%). The $9,953 difference is larger than its margin of error (±$1,771), so it is statistically distinguishable from zero at the 90% level the Census Bureau uses. That is a wider ratio than the 83.1% for all full-time, year-round workers ($55,678 vs $66,965, Census table B20017).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year, tables B24122/B24123/B24125/B24126. Full-time, year-round civilian workers 16+, 2024 dollars. Retrieved 2026-10-09. ± values are 90% margins of error.
Where this occupation sits
About 367,826 women and 398,642 men worked full-time, year-round in this occupation, so women were 48.0% of the group (±1.1%). That makes it a majority-men occupation, ranked #20 of 40 in this set by women's share.
Among the 40 large occupations in this set, it ranks #27 for the smallest gap (women's median as a share of men's; #1 is closest to equal), #24 for women's median earnings, and #22 for the largest dollar difference.
Occupations with a similar share of women
| Occupation | Women | Men | Women/men | Women's share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postsecondary teachers | $81,358 | $94,259 | 86.3% | 48% |
| Management analysts | $99,121 | $114,227 | 86.8% | 44% |
| Project management specialists | $94,660 | $105,235 | 90.0% | 44% |
Occupations with a similar pay ratio
| Occupation | Women | Men | Women/men | Women's share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawyers | $148,567 | $181,226 | 82.0% | 40% |
| Teaching assistants | $30,119 | $36,342 | 82.9% | 81% |
| Customer service representatives | $42,234 | $50,640 | 83.4% | 66% |
What this number does and doesn't tell you
- These are unadjusted medians for people who worked full-time, year-round. They do not control for hours beyond full-time, years of experience, seniority, employer, location, or the specific jobs inside the occupation group.
- A gap here is a description, not proof of discrimination, and the absence of a gap does not prove equal treatment. Estimates come from a sample survey, which is why every figure has a margin of error.
- The Census Bureau groups jobs into detailed occupations; "Food service managers" is the Bureau's category and may combine jobs you think of as different.
- For a specific state, see the state pay-gap pages. To compare any two jobs, use the pay-gap lookup tool. For how we work with data, see our methodology.