A separate descriptive lane (ADR-013). This county labor average is never an input to any Muntin price index, pressure reading, or Vendor Benchmark reference — it is a backdrop set beside the cost data, never blended into it. Not a forecast.
Average weekly wage · 2019 Q1 → 2025 Q4
The county food-services average weekly wage, two industry definitions: the broader Food services & drinking places (722) and the narrower Restaurants & other eating places (7225). A descriptive backdrop, drawn straight from the quarterly series — no projection line.
In 2020 Q2, county food-services employment (722) fell from 31,419 to 18,690 — about 41% — while the average weekly wage barely moved (522 → 495). A staffing-mix effect, not a pay cut: when the lowest-paid shifts drop first, the surviving average holds. And this is a weekly wage, never an hourly rate. Descriptive, never a forecast.
Every quarter, as data
This table is the source of record — it works with no JavaScript, and the chart above is an enhancement of it.
| Quarter | Industry | Avg weekly wage | OTY % | Establishments | Avg employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Q1 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 486 | +1.2% | 1873 | 31,470 |
| 2019 Q1 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 433 | +3.3% | 1674 | 29,158 |
| 2019 Q2 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 479 | +5% | 1890 | 32,588 |
| 2019 Q2 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 450 | +5.6% | 1690 | 29,956 |
| 2019 Q3 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 498 | +6.9% | 1896 | 32,654 |
| 2019 Q3 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 458 | +5.5% | 1692 | 30,104 |
| 2019 Q4 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 500 | +4.6% | 1911 | 32,643 |
| 2019 Q4 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 467 | +4.7% | 1713 | 29,962 |
| 2020 Q1 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 522 | +7.4% | 1913 | 31,419 |
| 2020 Q1 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 459 | +6% | 1714 | 29,069 |
| 2020 Q2 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 495 | +3.3% | 1856 | 18,690 |
| 2020 Q2 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 451 | +0.2% | 1662 | 17,391 |
| 2020 Q3 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 502 | +0.8% | 1831 | 23,635 |
| 2020 Q3 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 480 | +4.8% | 1641 | 22,306 |
| 2020 Q4 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 521 | +4.2% | 1839 | 23,826 |
| 2020 Q4 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 488 | +4.5% | 1652 | 22,465 |
| 2021 Q1 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 474 | -9.2% | 1790 | 22,832 |
| 2021 Q1 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 448 | -2.4% | 1613 | 21,431 |
| 2021 Q2 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 538 | +8.7% | 1799 | 25,980 |
| 2021 Q2 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 511 | +13.3% | 1624 | 24,268 |
| 2021 Q3 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 571 | +13.7% | 1791 | 28,070 |
| 2021 Q3 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 544 | +13.3% | 1618 | 26,037 |
| 2021 Q4 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 585 | +12.3% | 1804 | 28,416 |
| 2021 Q4 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 557 | +14.1% | 1630 | 26,212 |
| 2022 Q1 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 553 | +16.7% | 1799 | 27,206 |
| 2022 Q1 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 501 | +11.8% | 1605 | 25,114 |
| 2022 Q2 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 561 | +4.3% | 1825 | 28,530 |
| 2022 Q2 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 534 | +4.5% | 1628 | 26,163 |
| 2022 Q3 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 595 | +4.2% | 1858 | 29,178 |
| 2022 Q3 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 563 | +3.5% | 1655 | 26,778 |
| 2022 Q4 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 601 | +2.7% | 1867 | 28,705 |
| 2022 Q4 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 568 | +2% | 1661 | 26,034 |
| 2023 Q1 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 622 | +12.5% | 1819 | 28,930 |
| 2023 Q1 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 559 | +11.6% | 1611 | 26,573 |
| 2023 Q2 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 598 | +6.6% | 1830 | 29,927 |
| 2023 Q2 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 559 | +4.7% | 1618 | 27,381 |
| 2023 Q3 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 593 | -0.3% | 1853 | 30,278 |
| 2023 Q3 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 562 | -0.2% | 1635 | 27,905 |
| 2023 Q4 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 623 | +3.7% | 1883 | 29,073 |
| 2023 Q4 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 587 | +3.3% | 1657 | 26,725 |
| 2024 Q1 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 647 | +4% | 1890 | 29,489 |
| 2024 Q1 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 577 | +3.2% | 1666 | 27,228 |
| 2024 Q2 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 613 | +2.5% | 1903 | 30,570 |
| 2024 Q2 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 585 | +4.7% | 1676 | 28,065 |
| 2024 Q3 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 620 | +4.6% | 1916 | 30,239 |
| 2024 Q3 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 589 | +4.8% | 1687 | 27,764 |
| 2024 Q4 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 645 | +3.5% | 1918 | 29,799 |
| 2024 Q4 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 612 | +4.3% | 1693 | 27,314 |
| 2025 Q1 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 646 | -0.2% | 1956 | 29,314 |
| 2025 Q1 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 581 | +0.7% | 1728 | 27,048 |
| 2025 Q2 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 629 | +2.6% | 1979 | 30,249 |
| 2025 Q2 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 600 | +2.6% | 1747 | 27,752 |
| 2025 Q3 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 642 | +3.5% | 1954 | 30,104 |
| 2025 Q3 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 606 | +2.9% | 1729 | 27,767 |
| 2025 Q4 | Food services & drinking places (722) | 666 | +3.3% | 1954 | 29,579 |
| 2025 Q4 | Restaurants & other eating places (7225) | 626 | +2.3% | 1730 | 27,083 |
What this can't tell you
- One county. Montgomery County covers the Bethesda location; the Arlington, VA location is not in this series. A local backdrop, not a national one.
- An average, not a per-plate cost. It is the whole industry's average weekly wage — never a labor cost you can attach to a dish or a menu price.
- Weekly, not hourly. A weekly wage conflates hours and staffing mix; a shift in either moves it without any change in pay rate.
- Lagged and quarterly. QCEW publishes about two quarters behind; this is a settled record, never a forecast.
- A backdrop, fenced off. It is never blended into the food index, the pressure math, or the Vendor Benchmark reference — it sits beside the cost data, never inside it.