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Nevada, Hawaii, Florida boast highest percentage of restaurant workers

States whose restaurant workforces represent the largest proportions of their overall employment include Nevada, with 16 percent; Hawaii, with 14 percent and Florida, with 12 percent. Nationally, the percentage is at about 10 percent.

February 24, 2015

According to the National Restaurant Association's just-released 2015 state economic brochures, states whose restaurant workforces represent the largest proportions of their overall employment include Nevada, with 16 percent; Hawaii, with 14 percent and Florida, with 12 percent.

Nationally, restaurant industry employment makes up about 10 percent of the nation's total workforce.

The three top states are also top tourist destinations. The NRA's 2015 Restaurant Industry Forecast reports that international tourism to the United States hit a record high in 2014, and continued growth is expected for 2015 and in the years ahead, the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries said. The OTTI, a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce, expects 76.6 million international visitors to come to America in 2015, which would represent another record high.

"Regional variances in key economic indicators drive restaurant industry growth at different rates across the nation, including the influx of travel and tourism," said Hudson Riehle, the NRA's senior vice president of research. "Restaurants derive up to one-third of sales from tourism, especially in the fine-dining segment."

The forecast also reported that top states for restaurant sales growth in 2015 are Arizona, Florida, North Dakota, Texas and Colorado. And looking at restaurant job growth over the next decade, Arizona is in the lead, followed by Florida, Texas, Georgia and Utah.