Food Servers, Nonrestaurant
Also called: Food Service Worker, Room Server, Room Service Server, Tray ServerServe food to individuals outside of a restaurant environment, such as in hotel rooms, hospital rooms, residential care facilities, or cars.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 3 of its 14 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 4.5% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 6.6% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 66% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $29,000 | $27,010 to $30,860 | 2,920 |
| Alaska | $38,090 | $31,760 to $45,840 | 430 |
| Arizona | $35,390 | $33,870 to $38,170 | 4,620 |
| Arkansas | $27,600 | $26,420 to $29,330 | 3,540 |
| California | $39,010 | $36,650 to $46,900 | 32,430 |
| Colorado | $38,900 | $35,990 to $45,850 | 7,750 |
| Connecticut | $35,950 | $34,930 to $37,740 | 5,050 |
| Delaware | $31,430 | $31,200 to $34,390 | 1,010 |
| District of Columbia | $37,920 | $37,220 to $44,350 | 1,260 |
| Florida | $33,930 | $30,510 to $36,200 | 19,240 |
| Georgia | $31,530 | $28,920 to $37,040 | 4,970 |
| Hawaii | $37,920 | $33,990 to $58,090 | 880 |
| Idaho | $34,220 | $31,200 to $35,900 | 930 |
| Illinois | $35,080 | $31,290 to $37,360 | 17,560 |
| Indiana | $31,840 | $28,720 to $35,700 | 3,900 |
| Iowa | $30,110 | $28,440 to $34,610 | 5,270 |
| Kansas | $29,040 | $24,440 to $31,500 | 1,270 |
| Kentucky | $32,200 | $28,150 to $36,850 | 3,660 |
| Louisiana | $27,200 | $21,490 to $30,150 | 2,380 |
| Maine | $37,680 | $34,710 to $41,310 | 540 |
| Maryland | $36,650 | $34,450 to $38,660 | 6,600 |
| Massachusetts | $36,750 | $35,110 to $38,260 | 5,830 |
| Michigan | $34,260 | $30,200 to $36,770 | 7,700 |
| Minnesota | $36,000 | $34,680 to $38,110 | 11,090 |
| Mississippi | $27,250 | $22,820 to $29,860 | 1,860 |
| Missouri | $31,840 | $29,900 to $35,590 | 7,490 |
| Montana | $32,090 | $29,250 to $37,360 | 1,050 |
| Nebraska | $31,540 | $29,450 to $35,190 | 3,800 |
| Nevada | $36,030 | $32,970 to $41,550 | 1,820 |
| New Hampshire | $36,710 | $31,180 to $39,590 | 1,770 |
| New Jersey | $36,390 | $33,820 to $38,690 | 11,400 |
| New Mexico | $35,740 | $32,840 to $37,500 | 670 |
| New York | $39,370 | $35,660 to $48,740 | 17,520 |
| North Carolina | $31,460 | $27,880 to $37,540 | 8,820 |
| North Dakota | $36,910 | $34,460 to $38,310 | 1,630 |
| Ohio | $30,440 | $28,340 to $36,110 | 15,320 |
| Oklahoma | $28,490 | $26,950 to $34,800 | 1,760 |
| Oregon | $36,620 | $34,710 to $43,750 | 4,420 |
| Pennsylvania | $33,300 | $29,480 to $38,020 | 13,940 |
| Puerto Rico | $21,840 | $21,840 to $23,040 | 540 |
| Rhode Island | $34,860 | $33,780 to $37,860 | 1,020 |
| South Carolina | $31,740 | $28,460 to $35,920 | 2,990 |
| South Dakota | $31,980 | $28,900 to $33,750 | 160 |
| Tennessee | $30,670 | $27,630 to $36,180 | 5,230 |
| Texas | $29,300 | $25,920 to $34,020 | 14,340 |
| Utah | $30,170 | $27,810 to $35,930 | 2,430 |
| Vermont | $37,540 | $36,100 to $46,410 | 780 |
| Virgin Islands | $29,760 | $28,350 to $63,340 | not published |
| Virginia | $35,090 | $30,630 to $36,960 | 7,420 |
| Washington | $38,870 | $36,760 to $45,790 | 8,050 |
| West Virginia | $30,170 | $27,670 to $32,890 | 460 |
| Wisconsin | $34,670 | $31,210 to $37,390 | 6,680 |
| Wyoming | $33,090 | $23,220 to $37,930 | 250 |
Nationally: $35,360. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 3 of its 14 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Place food servings on plates or trays according to orders or instructions. | Not published |
| AI + software | Monitor food distribution, ensuring that meals are delivered to the correct recipients and that guidelines, such as those for special diets, are followed. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine trays to ensure that they contain required items. | Not published |
| Not much | Load trays with accessories, such as eating utensils, napkins, or condiments. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean or sterilize dishes, kitchen utensils, equipment, or facilities. | Not published |
| Not much | Carry food, silverware, or linen on trays or use carts to carry trays. | Not published |
See all 14 tasks
| Not much | Remove trays and stack dishes for return to kitchen after meals are finished. | Not published |
| Not much | Stock service stations with items, such as ice, napkins, or straws. | Not published |
| Not much | Take food orders and relay orders to kitchens or serving counters so they can be filled. | Not published |
| AI + software | Monitor food preparation or serving techniques to ensure that proper procedures are followed. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare food items, such as sandwiches, salads, soups, or beverages. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record amounts and types of special food items served to customers. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Determine where patients or patrons would like to eat their meals and help them get situated. | Not published |
| Not much | Total checks, present them to customers, and accept payment for services. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 1 of the 14 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 14 tasks fall under 11 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #19 Provide general assistance to others, such as customers, patrons, or motorists
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare foods or beverages | |||
| Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Stock supplies or products | |||
| Provide general assistance to others, such as customers, patrons, or motorists | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Execute financial transactions | |||
| Clean workpieces, finished products, or other objects | |||
| Inspect completed work or finished products |
Show all 11 activities
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Provide food or beverage services | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Data or a spreadsheet68%
- A recipe or meal plan16%
- Advice or a recommendation4%
- A chart or visualization4%
- A design mockup4%
How they worked with Claude
4% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for food servers, nonrestaurant specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 5,270 moves out
- 1 Waiters and Waitresses Moderate +2.0% 11%
- 2 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 6%
- 3 Cooks, Restaurant Moderate +12.1% 4%
- 4 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
- 5 First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers High +5.4% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 4,006 moves in
- 1 Waiters and Waitresses Moderate +2.0% 18%
- 2 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 6%
- 3 Cashiers High -6.5% 6%
- 4 Fast Food and Counter Workers Moderate +5.8% 5%
- 5 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 27% less than high school
- 48% high school
- 1% postsecondary certificate
- 9% some college
- 2% associate's
- 6% bachelor's
- 7% post-doctoral training
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 26 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 19% less than high school
- 36% high school
- 25% some college
- 7% associate's
- 11% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 2,060 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
43.2% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | <0.5% | 19.1% |
| a certification | 0.8% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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