Catering Industry Statistics: 2026 Edition
Headline numbers covering US catering market size, growth, employment, and revenue benchmarks — every figure sourced to a public dataset so you can verify the math before quoting it in a deck or proposal.
Last updated
$14.0B
US catering industry revenue (2025)
140,000+
Catering businesses in the US
292,800
Workers employed in catering (NAICS 722320)
2.3%
Industry CAGR (2020-2025)
$385,000
Median annual revenue per single-location caterer
$15.74
Median hourly wage — Food Servers, Catering
Full statistics with sources
| Metric | Value | Source | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| US catering industry revenue (2025) | $14.0B | IBISWorld — Caterers in the US | 2025 |
| Catering businesses in the US | 140,000+ | US Census Bureau — County Business Patterns | Most recent CBP release |
| Workers employed in catering (NAICS 722320) | 292,800 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics — QCEW | QCEW 2024 annual |
| Industry CAGR (2020-2025) | 2.3% | IBISWorld — Caterers in the US | 2020-2025 |
| Median annual revenue per single-location caterer | $385,000 | US Census Bureau — Annual Business Survey | Most recent ABS release |
| Median hourly wage — Food Servers, Catering | $15.74 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS | OEWS May 2024 |
| Share of revenue from corporate vs social events | 57% | National Association for Catering and Events (NACE) — State of the Industry | NACE 2024 industry survey |
| Typical net profit margin for catering businesses | 4-7% | Restaurant Industry Operations Report — NRA / Deloitte | Most recent NRA Operations Report |
What the numbers mean
$14.0B — US catering industry revenue (2025)
Total annual revenue across roughly 140,000 catering businesses. The sector recovered to above-2019 levels in 2023 and has grown modestly since.
Source: IBISWorld — Caterers in the US · 2025
140,000+ — Catering businesses in the US
Establishment count from US Census BDS / County Business Patterns under NAICS 722320 (Caterers).
Source: US Census Bureau — County Business Patterns · Most recent CBP release
292,800 — Workers employed in catering (NAICS 722320)
Combined wage and salary employment in the Caterers industry per the latest QCEW snapshot.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics — QCEW · QCEW 2024 annual
2.3% — Industry CAGR (2020-2025)
Five-year compound annual growth rate for the US Caterers industry.
Source: IBISWorld — Caterers in the US · 2020-2025
$385,000 — Median annual revenue per single-location caterer
Most US caterers are sole proprietors or single-location LLCs. Median revenue runs notably lower than the average, which is pulled up by multi-unit operations.
Source: US Census Bureau — Annual Business Survey · Most recent ABS release
$15.74 — Median hourly wage — Food Servers, Catering
BLS OEWS code 35-3041 / 35-3023 (servers and food prep in catering contexts). Includes tipped earnings where applicable.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS · OEWS May 2024
57% — Share of revenue from corporate vs social events
Corporate catering (recurring office accounts, conferences) has overtaken social events (weddings, parties) as the larger revenue source for most multi-event US caterers.
Source: National Association for Catering and Events (NACE) — State of the Industry · NACE 2024 industry survey
4-7% — Typical net profit margin for catering businesses
Industry net margin sits well below restaurants. Food cost discipline and event throughput are the two main margin drivers.
Source: Restaurant Industry Operations Report — NRA / Deloitte · Most recent NRA Operations Report
Related on CaterCamp
The benchmarks above sit alongside our product and operator-guide pages. Use these to apply the data to your own catering or foodservice operation.