Food Preparation
Hosts & Hostesses
SOC 35-9031
Greet and seat guests and manage the flow of a dining room.
The job
Median pay
$31k
$28k to $36k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing
+3.4% projected
Openings a year
107k
BLS projection
Typical education
No formal credential
Our model
AI displacement risk
Moderate
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
12/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
22nd pct
More exposed than 22% of occupations · modeled estimate · 88th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
44/100
Key skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 41,100 | 2.3 | 0.8× | $37k |
| Florida | 37,100 | 3.7 | 1.3× | $30k |
| Texas | 35,550 | 2.5 | 0.9× | $27k |
| New York | 18,640 | 1.9 | 0.7× | $36k |
| Pennsylvania | 18,020 | 3.0 | 1.1× | $29k |
| Georgia | 17,300 | 3.5 | 1.3× | $28k |
| Illinois | 16,500 | 2.7 | 1.0× | $31k |
| Ohio | 15,480 | 2.8 | 1.0× | $28k |
| North Carolina | 15,160 | 3.1 | 1.1× | $28k |
| Massachusetts | 13,540 | 3.7 | 1.3× | $35k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 12,620 | 2.9 | 1.0× | $29k |
| Tennessee | 11,280 | 3.4 | 1.2× | $27k |
| Virginia | 10,890 | 2.7 | 0.9× | $30k |
| Arizona | 10,710 | 3.3 | 1.2× | $35k |
| Indiana | 9,730 | 3.0 | 1.1× | $27k |
| Washington | 9,530 | 2.7 | 1.0× | $37k |
| Colorado | 9,490 | 3.3 | 1.2× | $36k |
| New Jersey | 9,420 | 2.2 | 0.8× | $34k |
| Missouri | 8,510 | 2.9 | 1.0× | $29k |
| South Carolina | 7,990 | 3.5 | 1.3× | $27k |
| Maryland | 7,390 | 2.7 | 1.0× | $35k |
| Minnesota | 7,150 | 2.4 | 0.9× | $30k |
| Nevada | 6,570 | 4.2 | 1.5× | $31k |
| Louisiana | 6,440 | 3.3 | 1.2× | $22k |
| Wisconsin | 6,430 | 2.2 | 0.8× | $28k |
| Oregon | 5,740 | 2.9 | 1.1× | $41k |
| Alabama | 5,400 | 2.6 | 0.9× | $26k |
| Kentucky | 5,120 | 2.6 | 0.9× | $27k |
| Oklahoma | 5,060 | 3.0 | 1.1× | $25k |
| Utah | 4,950 | 2.9 | 1.0× | $30k |
| Kansas | 4,540 | 3.2 | 1.1× | $28k |
| Connecticut | 3,670 | 2.2 | 0.8× | $34k |
| Arkansas | 3,110 | 2.4 | 0.9× | $27k |
| Nebraska | 2,830 | 2.8 | 1.0× | $28k |
| New Mexico | 2,670 | 3.1 | 1.1× | $28k |
| Mississippi | 2,660 | 2.3 | 0.8× | $22k |
| Hawaii | 2,650 | 4.2 | 1.5× | $47k |
| Iowa | 2,630 | 1.7 | 0.6× | $28k |
| Washington DC | 2,450 | 3.5 | 1.3× | $38k |
| Idaho | 2,360 | 2.8 | 1.0× | $27k |
| New Hampshire | 2,130 | 3.1 | 1.1× | $34k |
| Delaware | 1,680 | 3.5 | 1.3× | $31k |
| Rhode Island | 1,652 | 3.3 | 1.2× | $31k~ |
| West Virginia | 1,580 | 2.3 | 0.8× | $24k |
| Maine | 1,460 | 2.3 | 0.8× | $37k |
| Montana | 1,260 | 2.5 | 0.9× | $29k |
| Vermont | 1,060 | 3.5 | 1.3× | $31k |
| North Dakota | 800 | 1.9 | 0.7× | $29k |
| Alaska | 740 | 2.3 | 0.8× | $30k |
| Wyoming | 660 | 2.4 | 0.8× | $23k |
| South Dakota | 630 | 1.4 | 0.5× | $30k |
Top metro areas
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ18,530 jobs · $37k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA15,340 jobs · $37k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN13,390 jobs · $32k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA11,940 jobs · $29k median
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH10,580 jobs · $35k median
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL10,440 jobs · $32k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX10,140 jobs · $29k median
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV9,270 jobs · $36k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Hosts & Hostesses interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.