U.S. food service activity is measured through several related lenses: national food spending, food-away-from-home purchases, outlet mix, state sales, inflation-adjusted trends, and supply-chain shares. In 2023, food-away-from-home spending reached 58.5% of total U.S. food spending, while state-level sales data recorded a national record of $3,923 per person for food-away-from-home purchases.
Key Food Service Industry Statistics
The following figures summarize the most useful national, state, historical, and supply-chain measures:
- In 2023, U.S. food spending reached $2.57 trillion across consumers, businesses, and government entities.
- In 2023, per-capita U.S. food spending was $7,672 across the population.
- From 2022 to 2023, per-capita total food spending increased 7.5% in the United States.
- In 2023, food-away-from-home spending was $4,485 per person in the United States.
- In 2023, food-away-from-home spending represented 58.5% of total food spending in the United States.
- In 2023, Americans spent 11.2% of disposable personal income on food at home and away from home.
- From 2022 to 2023, food-away-from-home spending per person rose 12.0% in the United States.
- In 2023, food-away-from-home prices increased 7.1% on average in the United States.
- From January through July 2024, inflation-adjusted monthly food-away-from-home spending grew 0.9% on average year over year in the United States.
- In 2023, full-service and limited-service restaurants together accounted for more than two-thirds of food-away-from-home spending in the United States.
- In 2020, limited-service restaurants received 37.6% of food-away-from-home spending in the United States.
- In 2023, per-capita food-away-from-home purchases reached a record $3,923 in the state-level U.S. sales series.
- In 2023, Washington, DC recorded $10,644 in per-capita food-away-from-home sales, the highest listed jurisdiction.
- In 2023, West Virginia recorded $2,597 in per-capita food-away-from-home purchases, the lowest listed state.
- From 1997 to 2023, inflation-adjusted per-capita total food purchases increased 38.4% in the United States.
- From 1997 to 2023, New York’s inflation-adjusted per-capita food-away-from-home purchases increased 101.7%.
- In 2023, farm establishments received 5.4 cents of each food-away-from-home dollar in the United States.
- In 2023, marketing activities received 94.6 cents of each food-away-from-home dollar in the United States.
Contents
- Key Food Service Industry Statistics
- Food Service Industry Statistics: Total U.S. Food Spending and Demand
- Food Service Industry Data on Away-From-Home Spending and Budgets
- Food Service Industry Trends by Restaurant and Outlet Type
- State-Level Food Service Industry Statistics and Regional Differences
- Long-Term Food Service Industry Growth and Inflation-Adjusted Trends
- Food Service Industry Economics: Farm, Marketing, and Measurement Context
Food Service Industry Statistics: Total U.S. Food Spending and Demand
The USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) estimated that U.S. food spending by consumers, businesses, and government entities reached $2.57 trillion in 2023. This broad spending universe is not limited to commercial restaurants, and the estimate is nominal rather than inflation-adjusted. (USDA ERS, “U.S. Consumers Increased Spending on Food Away From Home in 2023, Driving Overall Food Spending Growth”)
Per-capita total food spending was $7,672 in 2023, up 7.5% from 2022. The increase includes price effects, so it should not be read as a 7.5% increase in food volume or restaurant visits.
| Measure | 2023 result | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Total food spending | $2.57 trillion | United States; all covered purchasers |
| Total food spending per person | $7,672 | United States population |
| Food-away-from-home spending per person | $4,485 | Restaurants and other away-from-home outlets |
| Food-at-home spending per person | $3,187 | United States population |
| Away-from-home share | 58.5% | Share of nominal total food spending |
| At-home share | 41.5% | Share of nominal total food spending |
Food-away-from-home spending was the largest component in 2023, and its 58.5% share was the highest in the ERS series beginning in the 1930s. The share concerns spending, not the number of meals, physical food volume, or the share of eating occasions.
Food Service Industry Data on Away-From-Home Spending and Budgets
Food-away-from-home spending grew faster than food-at-home spending in 2023. Per-capita away-from-home spending rose 12.0% from 2022 to 2023, compared with 1.8% growth for food-at-home spending; both are nominal changes. (USDA ERS, “U.S. Consumers Increased Spending on Food Away From Home in 2023, Driving Overall Food Spending Growth”)
Americans spent 11.2% of disposable personal income on food in 2023. Disposable personal income itself rose 8.1%, while the food-at-home share of disposable personal income declined from 5.6% in 2022 to 5.3% in 2023 and the away-from-home share increased from 5.6% to 5.9%.
Price changes explain part of the nominal movement. Total food prices increased 5.8% in 2023; food-away-from-home prices increased 7.1% on average, while food-at-home prices increased 5.1%.
The ERS also reported a difference between nominal and real activity:
- Inflation-adjusted monthly food-away-from-home spending rose an average 3.0% year over year in 2023.
- From January through July 2024, inflation-adjusted monthly food-away-from-home spending grew an average 0.9% year over year.
- Food-away-from-home prices rose 4.3% from January through July 2024, a partial-year measure.
The USDA ERS Food Expenditure Series can distinguish food at home from food away from home and report nominal or constant dollars, with or without taxes and tips, by outlet and purchaser. Its broad national definition includes food and beverage sales plus nonmarket sources, while some monthly and state sales estimates exclude food furnished, donated, home-produced, and served at educational institutions. (USDA ERS, “Food Expenditure Series”)
Food Service Industry Trends by Restaurant and Outlet Type
Restaurant category shares show how the composition of away-from-home spending changed over time. Full-service restaurants received 35.9% of food-away-from-home spending in 1997, while limited-service restaurants received 34.6% in 2010 and reached 37.6% in 2020. (USDA ERS, “Limited-service restaurants captured the largest share of food-away-from-home spending from 2019 to 2023”)
| Outlet measure | Period | Share of food-away-from-home spending |
|---|---|---|
| Full-service restaurants | 1997 | 35.9% |
| Limited-service restaurants | 2010 | 34.6% |
| Limited-service restaurants | 2020 | 37.6% |
| Full-service plus limited-service restaurants | 2023 | More than two-thirds |
| Other away-from-home outlets | 2023 | Nearly the remaining third |
The 2023 grouping combines full-service and limited-service restaurants, which together accounted for more than two-thirds of food-away-from-home spending. Other away-from-home outlets—including hotels, schools, and drinking establishments—represented nearly the remaining third, so that residual category is not a single homogeneous industry segment.
These figures are outlet-share estimates, not profitability measures. They also should not be treated as a direct count of locations, transactions, meals, or customers.
State-Level Food Service Industry Statistics and Regional Differences
The USDA ERS state-level sales series provides a different lens from the national all-purchaser spending estimate. In that series, U.S. per-capita food sales were $7,102 in 2023; food-at-home sales were $3,179, representing 44.8% of food purchases, and food-away-from-home purchases reached a record $3,923. (USDA ERS, “Analyzing Food Sales Trends at the State Level Using New Series”)
| Geography | 2023 food-away-from-home sales per person | Share of food sales |
|---|---|---|
| Washington, DC | $10,644 | 76.2% |
| Nevada | $6,907 | 63.9% |
| Hawaii | $6,679 | 63.5% |
| California | $5,133 | Not stated |
| North Carolina | $3,610 | Not stated |
| West Virginia | $2,597 | Not stated |
| All other states | Not stated | 53.0% |
Washington, DC had the highest listed per-capita food-away-from-home sales at $10,644, followed by Nevada at $6,907 and Hawaii at $6,679. California recorded $5,133, North Carolina was the median state at $3,610, and West Virginia had the lowest listed figure at $2,597.
Per-capita sales can be distorted by tourists and commuters, especially in Washington, DC, Nevada, and Hawaii. These figures therefore should not be interpreted as resident-only consumption, and the 53.0% share for all other states excludes Washington, DC, Nevada, and Hawaii.
Long-Term Food Service Industry Growth and Inflation-Adjusted Trends
The state-level series controls for regional consumer price indexes and population when reporting constant-dollar per-capita changes. From 1997 to 2023, inflation-adjusted per-capita total food purchases increased 38.4%, while food-at-home sales increased 18.0% nationally. (USDA ERS, “Analyzing Food Sales Trends at the State Level Using New Series”)
Selected food-at-home changes show substantial state variation:
- Rhode Island had the largest food-at-home sales growth, at 86.5% from 1997 to 2023.
- Tennessee’s food-at-home sales grew 63.6% from 1997 to 2023.
- Arizona was the median state for food-at-home growth, at 16.0% over 1997–2023.
- New Hampshire’s food-at-home purchases declined 1.9% over 1997–2023.
- Connecticut’s declined 5.2%, West Virginia’s 7.1%, Illinois’ 7.4%, and South Carolina’s 11.0%.
Food-away-from-home growth was stronger in several large markets. New York’s inflation-adjusted per-capita purchases increased 101.7% from 1997 to 2023, California’s increased 97.1%, and Mississippi’s increased 77.6%; North Dakota was the median state at 54.5%.
Nevada had the smallest state increase in food-away-from-home purchases, at 21.4% from 1997 to 2023, while Hawaii increased 37.2% and Washington, DC increased 49.8%. The Washington, DC result is affected by commuting and tourism, so its long-term change requires the same comparability caution as its 2023 level.
Food Service Industry Economics: Farm, Marketing, and Measurement Context
The USDA ERS Food Dollar Series separates the farm share from the marketing share of food dollars. These are supply-chain measures, not restaurant revenue, operating costs, or profit margins. (USDA ERS, “Farm establishments received nearly a quarter of each food-at-home dollar in 2023”)
| Food-dollar category | Farm share, 2023 | Marketing share, 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Food away from home | 5.4 cents per dollar | 94.6 cents per dollar |
| Food at home | 24.3 cents per dollar | 75.7 cents per dollar |
For food-away-from-home dollars, farm establishments received 5.4 cents and the marketing share was 94.6 cents in 2023. The marketing share includes processing, transportation, retailing, preparation, and serving-related activities, so it should not be equated with the portion retained by restaurants.
For food-at-home dollars, farm establishments received 24.3 cents and the marketing share was 75.7 cents. The contrast describes where value is measured in the supply chain; it does not compare restaurant margins with grocery-store margins.
Across these measures, periods and definitions matter. The ERS series is revised when source agencies revise historical estimates and classifications, so published figures should retain their measurement periods, geography, purchaser coverage, and nominal or inflation-adjusted basis.