How much do food managers make in 2026?
Food manager is classified here under SOC 11-3051, industrial production managers, which BLS OEWS May 2025 puts at a national median of $126,060 a year, or $60.61 an hour, with a P10 to P90 range of $78,000 to $205,520 across 246,250 workers. That classification places the title in food manufacturing, where a food manager runs production, quality or operations at a processing plant. The title is also widely used in food service, where a food manager runs a kitchen, a catering operation or an institutional dining service and is counted in an entirely different occupational code with a substantially lower median. Anyone comparing salary figures for this title needs to establish which job is meant first, because the two are not close. Reading the manufacturing version covered here, pay follows plant scale and functional breadth: a manager responsible for production alone sits lower than one accountable for production, quality and supply planning together, and food manufacturing generally pays below this cross-industry median because margins are thin. BLS projects 1.9% growth through 2034 with roughly 17,100 openings a year for the manufacturing code. → Full food manager career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $126,060 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Food Managers earn a national median $126,060/yr ($60.61/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 11-3051); the P10 to P90 range is $78,000 to $205,520.
- The title is ambiguous: BLS classifies it here under industrial production managers, the manufacturing reading, while food service managers are counted in a different code with a lower median.
- Within manufacturing, functional breadth drives pay, with responsibility spanning production, quality and supply planning paying above production alone.
- Food manufacturing generally pays below this cross-industry production management median because the sector's margins are thinner than aerospace, pharmaceutical or chemical manufacturing.
US Food Manager Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do food managers earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 11-3051; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 11-3051, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a food manager earn at each career stage?
Food management pay in manufacturing follows plant scale and functional breadth. Each median below is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 11-3051.
By State
Which states pay food managers the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates, not BLS state observations: the national median for SOC 11-3051 scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index. Food manufacturing management pay is set against plant scale rather than state wage levels, and plants are located near agricultural supply and distribution corridors rather than in high-wage metros.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($144,970), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay food managers the most?
Metro figures are modeled, national median times state wage index times published metro index, not BLS metropolitan observations. Because much food manufacturing is rural, this table is general cost-of-living context rather than a description of where these roles are.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a food manager’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does food manager pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Food Managers sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify food manager wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a food manager actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Food Manager Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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