Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers vs Food Service Managers: $90K vs $69K Median Pay

Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers vs Food Service Managers: what changes?

Consider Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers if you want to plan, direct, or coordinate the management or operation of farms, ranches, greenhouses, aquacultural operations, nurseries, timber tracts, or other agricultural establishments. Consider Food Service Managers if you would rather plan, direct, or coordinate activities of an organization or department that serves food and beverages. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers (5 years or more) and Food Service Managers (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers and Food Service Managers. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers

National median pay (2025): $89,900
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: 5 years or more
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: 5 years or more.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Collect and record growth, production, and environmental data.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 70,800

Know before you choose

BLS lists 5 years or more of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers brief

Food Service Managers

National median pay (2025): $69,390
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Count money and make bank deposits.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 38,800

Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Food Service Managers brief

How the national numbers differ

Food Service Managers has the edge on projected growth

Food Service Managers is at 5.8% projected growth, compared with -3.4% projected growth for Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers.

Typical preparation differs.

Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: 5 years or more Food Service Managers: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers has the edge on median pay

Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers is at $89,900, compared with $69,390 for Food Service Managers.

Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers has the edge on annual openings

Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers is at 70,800 annual openings, compared with 38,800 annual openings for Food Service Managers.

58.9/ 100

Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers

75.2/ 100

Food Service Managers

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers vs Food Service Managers

Dimension	Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers	Food Service Managers
Median pay (2025)	$89,900	$69,390
Pay percentile	77.1 percentile	60.8 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	-3.4%	5.8%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	70,800	38,800
2025 employment	788,700	344,300
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: 5 years or more	High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 4	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	Prior related experience: 5 years or more.	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers brief Read Food Service Managers brief

Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers vs Food Service Managers: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers

Food Service Managers

How the national numbers differ

Food Service Managers has the edge on projected growth

Typical preparation differs.

Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers has the edge on median pay

Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers has the edge on annual openings

Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers vs Food Service Managers

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