High paying food service jobs in America with no experience

The best paid food service occupations in America that require neither a degree nor prior experience in a related job. This is the narrowest cut on the site, so it is also the shortest list: where a field has only two or three such occupations, there is no page at all rather than a page pretending otherwise.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025

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OccupationMedian, America · Employed

1Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria$37,450
No formal educational credential
$28,480 – $49,670441,050
2Cooks, Short Order$35,880
No formal educational credential
$23,440 – $46,460138,650
3Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other$35,840
No formal educational credential
$25,470 – $47,55084,630
4Food Servers, Nonrestaurant$35,360
No formal educational credential
$28,030 – $46,120293,900
5Food Preparation Workers$35,320
No formal educational credential
$25,810 – $45,340893,600
6Waiters and Waitresses$35,230
No formal educational credential
$18,100 – $64,7202.3M
7Dishwashers$34,810
No formal educational credential
$26,200 – $42,860477,450
8Bartenders$34,340
No formal educational credential
$20,110 – $73,770756,390
9Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers$33,980
No formal educational credential
$21,300 – $46,570542,750
10Fast Food and Counter Workers$31,200
No formal educational credential
$22,840 – $42,6503.9M
11Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop$31,200
No formal educational credential
$22,340 – $43,990432,690
12Cooks, Fast Food$30,890
No formal educational credential
$22,580 – $42,910641,070

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianAmerica	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Cooks, Institution and CafeteriaNo formal educational credential	$37,450	$28,480 – $49,670	441,050
2	Cooks, Short OrderNo formal educational credential	$35,880	$23,440 – $46,460	138,650
3	Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$35,840	$25,470 – $47,550	84,630
4	Food Servers, NonrestaurantNo formal educational credential	$35,360	$28,030 – $46,120	293,900
5	Food Preparation WorkersNo formal educational credential	$35,320	$25,810 – $45,340	893,600
6	Waiters and WaitressesNo formal educational credential	$35,230	$18,100 – $64,720	2.3M
7	DishwashersNo formal educational credential	$34,810	$26,200 – $42,860	477,450
8	BartendersNo formal educational credential	$34,340	$20,110 – $73,770	756,390
9	Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender HelpersNo formal educational credential	$33,980	$21,300 – $46,570	542,750
10	Fast Food and Counter WorkersNo formal educational credential	$31,200	$22,840 – $42,650	3.9M
11	Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee ShopNo formal educational credential	$31,200	$22,340 – $43,990	432,690
12	Cooks, Fast FoodNo formal educational credential	$30,890	$22,580 – $42,910	641,070

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in America. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

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High paying food service jobs in America with no experience

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