

The food services and drinking places industry, with about 8.4 million wage and salary jobs in 2002, ranks among the Nation's leading employers. Food services and drinking places tend to be small; more than 70 percent of the establishments in the industry employed fewer than 20 workers. As a result, this industry often is considered attractive to individuals who want to own and run their own businesses. An estimated 222,000 self-employed people worked in the industry, representing about 3 percent of total employment.
Establishments in this industry, particularly fast-food establishments, are leading employers of teenagersaged 16 through 19providing first jobs for many new entrants to the labor force. In 2002, nearly 22 percent of all workers in food services and drinking places were teenagers, almost 5 times the proportion in all industries (table 1). About 45 percent were under age 25, nearly 3 times the proportion in all industries.
Table 1. Percent distribution of employment in food services and drinking places by age group, 2002
| Age group |
Food services and drinking places |
All industries |
| |
|
|
| Total |
100.0 |
100.0 |
| |
|
|
| 16-19 |
22.4 |
4.6 |
| 20-24 |
22.1 |
9.8 |
| 25-34 |
22.8 |
22.2 |
| 35-44 |
16.3 |
25.8 |
| 45-54 |
10.3 |
22.9 |
| 55-64 |
4.6 |
11.5 |
| 65 and older |
1.6 |
3.2 |
|