Best degree programs for Food Service Managers, ranked by enrollment
10 college programs and 550 schools train Food Service Managers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $69,390 median wage, 238,430 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
10 college programs at 550 schools train food service managers, graduating 13,571 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Hospitality Administration/Management, General. The job pays a median of $69,390 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About food service managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities of an organization or department that serves food and beverages.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
10 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 52.0901 | 7,736 | 57.0% | 369 | $34,218 | $23,364 |
| 2 | CIP 52.0904 | 1,755 | 12.9% | 90 | $34,218 | $23,364 |
| 3 | CIP 12.0504 | 1,663 | 12.3% | 115 | $25,404 | $13,000 |
| 4 | CIP 52.0905 | 783 | 5.8% | 45 | $34,218 | $23,364 |
| 5 | CIP 52.0999 | 579 | 4.3% | 32 | $34,218 | $23,364 |
| 6 | CIP 52.0909 | 445 | 3.3% | 52 | $34,218 | $23,364 |
| 7 | CIP 19.0505 | 333 | 2.5% | 30 | $32,286 | $25,275 |
| 8 | CIP 12.0509 | 261 | 1.9% | 8 | $25,404 | $13,000 |
| 9 | CIP 12.0510 | 12 | 0.1% | 2 | $25,404 | $13,000 |
| 10 | CIP 52.0910 | 4 | 0.0% | 2 | $34,218 | $23,364 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What food service managers earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | $72,790 | 18,500 | 1.21× | 34 | 2,318 |
| New York | $84,200 | 8,000 | 0.54× | 37 | 1,293 |
| California | $78,260 | 33,180 | 1.19× | 60 | 1,088 |
| Texas | $60,770 | 25,990 | 1.20× | 24 | 948 |
| Indiana | $71,430 | 4,990 | 1.02× | 9 | 507 |
| Nevadamoderate | $65,320 | 4,310 | 1.81× | 3 | 495 |
| Ohio | $62,980 | 8,570 | 1.01× | 13 | 434 |
| Alabama | $63,010 | 4,330 | 1.33× | 8 | 428 |
| North Carolina | $74,080 | 9,420 | 1.24× | 23 | 412 |
| Georgia | $65,280 | 9,230 | 1.23× | 19 | 398 |
| Pennsylvania | $64,750 | 10,530 | 1.13× | 28 | 311 |
| Utahmoderate | $69,480 | 2,400 | 0.90× | 4 | 298 |
| Colorado | $79,870 | 2,440 | 0.55× | 8 | 288 |
| South Carolina | $66,190 | 5,080 | 1.44× | 9 | 283 |
| Illinois | $63,930 | 11,270 | 1.20× | 24 | 271 |
| Arizona | $70,180 | 3,400 | 0.68× | 10 | 251 |
| New Jersey | $78,020 | 6,360 | 0.97× | 17 | 234 |
| Maryland | $72,850 | — | — | 10 | 230 |
| Virginia | $71,230 | 3,820 | 0.61× | 12 | 226 |
| Michigan | $60,790 | 9,240 | 1.37× | 15 | 223 |
| Massachusetts | $92,240 | 4,310 | 0.77× | 19 | 220 |
| Rhode Islandlimited | $82,850 | 760 | 0.99× | 2 | 215 |
| Louisiana | $61,400 | 1,950 | 0.66× | 9 | 179 |
| Washington | $95,190 | 1,180 | 0.22× | 7 | 172 |
| Tennessee | $64,410 | 4,550 | 0.91× | 14 | 159 |
| Arkansas | $55,120 | 2,720 | 1.36× | 6 | 152 |
| Nebraska | $60,450 | 2,050 | 1.30× | 6 | 145 |
| Hawaii | $87,800 | 1,230 | 1.27× | 5 | 142 |
| Missouri | $65,520 | 1,600 | 0.36× | 9 | 120 |
| Wisconsin | $61,810 | 6,000 | 1.33× | 12 | 108 |
| Oklahomamoderate | $63,840 | 2,020 | 0.77× | 3 | 106 |
| Kentuckymoderate | $70,410 | 1,680 | 0.55× | 4 | 87 |
| West Virginia | $54,800 | 1,230 | 1.14× | 6 | 85 |
| Mississippi | $59,540 | 1,920 | 1.08× | 10 | 81 |
| Kansasmoderate | $70,320 | 1,540 | 0.70× | 4 | 62 |
| New Mexico | $65,210 | 1,410 | 1.06× | 5 | 62 |
| Iowa | $66,700 | 1,760 | 0.73× | 7 | 59 |
| Delawaremoderate | $74,430 | 770 | 1.03× | 3 | 57 |
| Minnesota | $79,820 | 730 | 0.16× | 5 | 53 |
| Idaho | $70,140 | 670 | 0.51× | 5 | 40 |
| Oregon | $62,110 | 4,420 | 1.46× | 7 | 39 |
| Connecticut | $77,990 | 1,520 | 0.58× | 6 | 32 |
| Mainemoderate | $70,510 | 1,210 | 1.23× | 4 | 32 |
| New Hampshiremoderate | $77,360 | 590 | 0.56× | 4 | 26 |
| Alaskalimited | $82,030 | 380 | 0.75× | 2 | 16 |
| Montanalimited | $72,140 | 950 | 1.21× | 2 | 15 |
| District of Columbialimited | $81,680 | 1,000 | 0.93× | 2 | 8 |
| North Dakotalimited | $72,210 | 950 | 1.45× | 1 | 6 |
| South Dakotalimited | $60,640 | 1,270 | 1.82× | 2 | 6 |
| Wyominglimited | $62,610 | 590 | 1.37× | 2 | 2 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Count money and make bank deposits.
- Establish standards for personnel performance and customer service.
- Keep records required by government agencies regarding sanitation or food subsidies.
- Schedule staff hours and assign duties.
- Investigate and resolve complaints regarding food quality, service, or accommodations.
- Maintain food and equipment inventories, and keep inventory records.
- Perform some food preparation or service tasks, such as cooking, clearing tables, and serving food and drinks when necessary.
- Monitor budgets and payroll records, and review financial transactions to ensure that expenditures are authorized and budgeted.
Skills
- Monitoring3.9
- Active Listening3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Reading Comprehension3.8
- Critical Thinking3.6
- Active Learning3.1
- Learning Strategies3.1
- Writing3.0
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.5
- Administration and Management4.1
- Food Production4.0
- English Language3.5
- Personnel and Human Resources3.5
- Sales and Marketing3.4
Abilities
- Written Comprehension3.9
- Problem Sensitivity3.9
- Oral Comprehension3.9
- Deductive Reasoning3.9
- Oral Expression3.9
- Speech Clarity3.8
Core activities
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.4
- Getting Information4.3
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.2
- Coaching and Developing Others4.2
- Training and Teaching Others4.2
- Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others4.0
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Food Service Manager
Job zone 2 of 5 · SVP Below 6.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Work experience needed
- Less than 5 years
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 10 majors mapped to Food Service Managers10 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 12.0504Restaurant, Culinary, and Catering Management/Manager
- 12.0509Culinary Science/Culinology
- 12.0510Wine Steward/Sommelier
- 19.0505Foodservice Systems Administration/Management
- 52.0901Hospitality Administration/Management, General
- 52.0904Hotel/Motel Administration/Management
- 52.0905Restaurant/Food Services Management
- 52.0909Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Management
- 52.0910Brewery/Brewpub Operations/Management
- 52.0999Hospitality Administration/Management, Other
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Food Service Manager?+
High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Hospitality Administration/Management, General, which awarded 7,736 degrees in 2024-25, 57.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Food Service Manager?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 10 programs to this occupation. The largest are Hospitality Administration/Management, Culinary Arts and Related Services, Foods. Together they graduate about 13,571 people a year.
How much do food service managers earn?+
The median is $69,390 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $45,960 at the 10th percentile to $107,640 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for food service managers growing?+
BLS projects a +6.4% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 42,000 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
550 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 10 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do food service managers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Restaurant Manager, Food Service Manager, Food Service Director, F and B Manager (Food and Beverage Manager) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 11-9051.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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