Food Service Managers Salary
Food Service Managers in Trenton-Princeton, NJ make a median of $80,420 a year, or about $38.66 an hour. The range runs from $50K at the entry level to $125K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 103.18), that's roughly $77,941 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,950/month, about 38.6% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $80K get you in Trenton-Princeton?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Trenton-Princeton’s Regional Price Parity (103.18). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About food service managers
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What this looks like in Trenton-Princeton
Trenton-Princeton sits well above the national pay line for food service managers, local pay runs about 16% higher than the U.S. median of $69K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,950/month, which is 37.8% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 103.18) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for food service managers in metros near Trenton-Princeton, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic City-Hammonton | $80K | $81K |
| Vineland | $65K | $68K |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | $83K | $74K |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $75K | $73K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Trenton-Princeton, NJ
Entry-level food service managers (10th percentile) start around $50K. Mid-career wages sit at $80K. Top earners bring in $125K or more, a $75K spread from bottom to top.
Food Service Managers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Food Service Managers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $95K | +37% | 1,180 |
| Massachusetts | $92K | +33% | 4,310 |
| Hawaii | $88K | +27% | 1,230 |
| New York | $84K | +21% | 8,000 |
| Rhode Island | $83K | +19% | 760 |
| Alaska | $82K | +18% | 380 |
| District of Columbia | $82K | +18% | 1,000 |
| Colorado | $80K | +15% | 2,440 |
| Minnesota | $80K | +15% | 730 |
| California | $78K | +13% | 33,180 |
| New Jersey | $78K | +12% | 6,360 |
| Connecticut | $78K | +12% | 1,520 |
| Vermont | $78K | +12% | 500 |
| New Hampshire | $77K | +11% | 590 |
| Delaware | $74K | +7% | 770 |
| North Carolina | $74K | +7% | 9,420 |
| Maryland | $73K | +5% | N/A |
| Florida | $73K | +5% | 18,500 |
| North Dakota | $72K | +4% | 950 |
| Montana | $72K | +4% | 950 |
| Indiana | $71K | +3% | 4,990 |
| Virginia | $71K | +3% | 3,820 |
| Maine | $71K | +2% | 1,210 |
| Kentucky | $70K | +1% | 1,680 |
| Kansas | $70K | +1% | 1,540 |
| Arizona | $70K | +1% | 3,400 |
| Idaho | $70K | +1% | 670 |
| Utah | $69K | +0% | 2,400 |
| Iowa | $67K | -4% | 1,760 |
| South Carolina | $66K | -5% | 5,080 |
| Missouri | $66K | -6% | 1,600 |
| Nevada | $65K | -6% | 4,310 |
| Georgia | $65K | -6% | 9,230 |
| New Mexico | $65K | -6% | 1,410 |
| Pennsylvania | $65K | -7% | 10,530 |
| Tennessee | $64K | -7% | 4,550 |
| Illinois | $64K | -8% | 11,270 |
| Oklahoma | $64K | -8% | 2,020 |
| Alabama | $63K | -9% | 4,330 |
| Ohio | $63K | -9% | 8,570 |
| Wyoming | $63K | -10% | 590 |
| Oregon | $62K | -10% | 4,420 |
| Wisconsin | $62K | -11% | 6,000 |
| Louisiana | $61K | -12% | 1,950 |
| Michigan | $61K | -12% | 9,240 |
| Texas | $61K | -12% | 25,990 |
| South Dakota | $61K | -13% | 1,270 |
| Nebraska | $60K | -13% | 2,050 |
| Mississippi | $60K | -14% | 1,920 |
| Arkansas | $55K | -21% | 2,720 |
| West Virginia | $55K | -21% | 1,230 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track food service managers salary changes
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Related careers in Management
Frequently asked questions
Can a food service manager afford a 2BR apartment alone in Trenton-Princeton?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $80K, rent takes 37.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,950/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,500/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for food service managers in Trenton-Princeton?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new food service managers typically earn — is $50K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,010/month. At HUD’s $1,950/month FMR, rent would take 65% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is food service manager a high-paying job in Trenton-Princeton?
Local pay is 16% above the national median — $80K here vs. $69K nationally.
How does Trenton-Princeton compare to the national average for food service managers?
Trenton-Princeton pays $80K median vs. the U.S. average of $69K — that’s +16%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 103.18), the purchasing-power equivalent is $78K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do food service managers make in Trenton-Princeton, NJ?
The median is $80,420 a year, that works out to about $39 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $50,160, and experienced food service managers can clear $125,190. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $80K enough to live in Trenton-Princeton?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,164/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,950/month, which eats 37.8% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a food service managers salary go in Trenton-Princeton?
Trenton-Princeton has a Regional Price Parity of 103.18 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median food service managers salary is worth about $77,941 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do food service managers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.