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Food Service Working federal salary series 7408

Full-time federal employees in the Food Service Working series earned a median of $47,709 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 56% below the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $43,556 and $54,012.

Median pay
$47,709
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$43,556–$54,012
25th–75th percentile
Employees
5,633
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+2.8%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Food Service Working
All federal (full-time)

What shapes food service working pay

The most common grade with published pay is WG-3 (1,769 employees, median $46,561). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Veterans Affairs (5,146 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in New Jersey ($57,309) and lowest in Tennessee ($43,180), a gap that partly reflects locality pay differences. Federal pay depends mostly on grade and step, plus a locality adjustment for where the job is located; see the GS pay scale explainer.

Food Service Working pay by grade

Grades with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay. GS grades are listed first; other pay plans follow.

Food Service Working pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
NA-2 847 $41,218 $39,611–$44,390
NA-3 80 $46,477 $43,509–$46,879
NA-4 51 $48,084 $45,121–$49,253
WG-2 1,088 $44,140 $41,093–$46,425
WG-3 1,769 $46,561 $43,702–$50,818
WG-4 1,004 $51,706 $48,377–$55,952
WL-4 211 $55,264 $52,759–$59,459
WS-3 343 $71,062 $66,174–$76,217
WS-4 67 $71,876 $69,320–$76,922

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Food Service Working pay by agency

Food Service Working pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Veterans Affairs 5,146 $47,625 $43,535–$54,095
Department of Health and Human Services 56 $49,566 $48,523–$52,196

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Food Service Working pay by state

The 10 states with the most employees in this series and published pay.

Food Service Working pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
California 411 $53,156 $48,586–$56,798
Florida 408 $44,370 $41,218–$46,477
Texas 379 $43,535 $41,281–$46,811
New York 314 $53,198 $47,636–$57,309
Pennsylvania 275 $50,818 $46,164–$56,808
Ohio 205 $49,858 $45,058–$54,721
Illinois 192 $47,604 $44,683–$52,029
Georgia 161 $45,580 $42,852–$49,358
North Carolina 141 $44,202 $41,218–$46,722
Tennessee 140 $43,180 $41,218–$46,624

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Compare food service working pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +2.8% from $46,415 in September 2025 to $47,709 in September 2026. Headcount went from 5,686 to 5,633 (−0.9%). A change in the median reflects both pay adjustments and who joined or left the workforce, so it is not the same as a pay raise.

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