Best US Cities for Restaurant Managers
Top US cities for Restaurant Managers ranked by estimated median salary, with cost-of-living-adjusted earning power.
| # | City | Estimated salary | Cost mult. | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honolulu, HI | $77,900 | 1.30× | +$19,900 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $76,300 | 1.45× | +$18,300 |
| 3 | Los Angeles, CA | $74,300 | 1.22× | +$16,300 |
| 4 | Anaheim, CA | $72,500 | 1.18× | +$14,500 |
| 5 | Scottsdale, AZ | $72,500 | 1.18× | +$14,500 |
| 6 | Oakland, CA | $72,200 | 1.35× | +$14,200 |
| 7 | New York City, NY | $71,000 | 1.32× | +$13,000 |
| 8 | San Diego, CA | $70,500 | 1.21× | +$12,500 |
| 9 | Irvine, CA | $70,200 | 1.30× | +$12,200 |
| 10 | Miami, FL | $69,800 | 1.12× | +$11,800 |
| # | City | Salary | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honolulu, HI | $77,900 | $37/hr |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $76,300 | $37/hr |
| 3 | Los Angeles, CA | $74,300 | $36/hr |
| 4 | Anaheim, CA | $72,500 | $35/hr |
| 5 | Scottsdale, AZ | $72,500 | $35/hr |
| 6 | Oakland, CA | $72,200 | $35/hr |
| 7 | New York City, NY | $71,000 | $34/hr |
| 8 | San Diego, CA | $70,500 | $34/hr |
| 9 | Irvine, CA | $70,200 | $34/hr |
| 10 | Miami, FL | $69,800 | $34/hr |
| 11 | Long Beach, CA | $69,200 | $33/hr |
| 12 | Boston, MA | $66,900 | $32/hr |
| 13 | Las Vegas, NV | $66,200 | $32/hr |
| 14 | Yonkers, NY | $66,100 | $32/hr |
| 15 | Anchorage, AK | $66,100 | $32/hr |
| 16 | Seattle, WA | $65,300 | $31/hr |
| 17 | Henderson, NV | $65,300 | $31/hr |
| 18 | Reno, NV | $65,300 | $31/hr |
| 19 | Orlando, FL | $64,800 | $31/hr |
| 20 | Chula Vista, CA | $64,100 | $31/hr |
| 21 | Frisco, TX | $63,600 | $31/hr |
| 22 | Phoenix, AZ | $62,300 | $30/hr |
| 23 | Tampa, FL | $62,300 | $30/hr |
| 24 | Charleston, SC | $62,300 | $30/hr |
| 25 | Portland, OR | $62,100 | $30/hr |
| 26 | Newark, NJ | $62,100 | $30/hr |
| 27 | Sacramento, CA | $62,100 | $30/hr |
| 28 | Riverside, CA | $62,100 | $30/hr |
| 29 | New Orleans, LA | $61,700 | $30/hr |
| 30 | Virginia Beach, VA | $61,500 | $30/hr |
| 31 | Denver, CO | $61,200 | $29/hr |
| 32 | Nashville, TN | $61,100 | $29/hr |
| 33 | Colorado Springs, CO | $61,100 | $29/hr |
| 34 | St. Petersburg, FL | $61,100 | $29/hr |
| 35 | Chicago, IL | $60,000 | $29/hr |
| 36 | Austin, TX | $60,000 | $29/hr |
| 37 | Baltimore, MD | $60,000 | $29/hr |
| 38 | Stockton, CA | $60,000 | $29/hr |
| 39 | Aurora, CO | $60,000 | $29/hr |
| 40 | Hialeah, FL | $60,000 | $29/hr |
| 41 | Tucson, AZ | $59,800 | $29/hr |
| 42 | Glendale, AZ | $59,800 | $29/hr |
| 43 | Minneapolis, MN | $59,600 | $29/hr |
| 44 | Plano, TX | $59,600 | $29/hr |
| 45 | Chandler, AZ | $59,600 | $29/hr |
| 46 | Arlington, TX | $59,400 | $29/hr |
| 47 | Philadelphia, PA | $58,800 | $28/hr |
| 48 | Atlanta, GA | $58,800 | $28/hr |
| 49 | Gilbert, AZ | $58,800 | $28/hr |
| 50 | Salt Lake City, UT | $58,800 | $28/hr |
| 51 | San Antonio, TX | $58,500 | $28/hr |
| 52 | Knoxville, TN | $58,100 | $28/hr |
| 53 | Wilmington, DE | $58,000 | $28/hr |
| 54 | Raleigh, NC | $58,000 | $28/hr |
| 55 | St. Paul, MN | $58,000 | $28/hr |
| 56 | Chesapeake, VA | $58,000 | $28/hr |
| 57 | North Las Vegas, NV | $58,000 | $28/hr |
| 58 | Boise, ID | $58,000 | $28/hr |
| 59 | Fresno, CA | $58,000 | $28/hr |
| 60 | Worcester, MA | $58,000 | $28/hr |
| 61 | Dallas, TX | $57,600 | $28/hr |
| 62 | Bakersfield, CA | $57,600 | $28/hr |
| 63 | Madison, WI | $57,600 | $28/hr |
| 64 | Norfolk, VA | $57,200 | $28/hr |
| 65 | Jacksonville, FL | $56,800 | $27/hr |
| 66 | Charlotte, NC | $56,800 | $27/hr |
| 67 | Mesa, AZ | $56,800 | $27/hr |
| 68 | Houston, TX | $56,400 | $27/hr |
| 69 | Fort Worth, TX | $56,400 | $27/hr |
| 70 | Garland, TX | $56,400 | $27/hr |
| 71 | Spokane, WA | $56,400 | $27/hr |
| 72 | Pittsburgh, PA | $56,000 | $27/hr |
| 73 | Tallahassee, FL | $56,000 | $27/hr |
| 74 | Milwaukee, WI | $55,600 | $27/hr |
| 75 | Albuquerque, NM | $55,600 | $27/hr |
| 76 | Grand Rapids, MI | $55,200 | $27/hr |
| 77 | Columbus, OH | $54,800 | $26/hr |
| 78 | Detroit, MI | $54,800 | $26/hr |
| 79 | Cincinnati, OH | $54,800 | $26/hr |
| 80 | Kansas City, MO | $54,800 | $26/hr |
| 81 | Lexington, KY | $54,800 | $26/hr |
| 82 | Corpus Christi, TX | $54,800 | $26/hr |
| 83 | Buffalo, NY | $54,800 | $26/hr |
| 84 | Greensboro, NC | $54,800 | $26/hr |
| 85 | El Paso, TX | $54,300 | $26/hr |
| 86 | Cleveland, OH | $54,300 | $26/hr |
| 87 | St. Louis, MO | $54,300 | $26/hr |
| 88 | Winston-Salem, NC | $54,300 | $26/hr |
| 89 | Indianapolis, IN | $53,900 | $26/hr |
| 90 | Louisville, KY | $53,900 | $26/hr |
| 91 | Omaha, NE | $53,900 | $26/hr |
| 92 | Memphis, TN | $53,500 | $26/hr |
| 93 | Oklahoma City, OK | $53,500 | $26/hr |
| 94 | Lincoln, NE | $53,500 | $26/hr |
| 95 | Birmingham, AL | $53,100 | $26/hr |
| 96 | Toledo, OH | $53,100 | $26/hr |
| 97 | Lubbock, TX | $53,100 | $26/hr |
| 98 | Wichita, KS | $52,300 | $25/hr |
| 99 | Fort Wayne, IN | $52,300 | $25/hr |
| 100 | Mobile, AL | $52,300 | $25/hr |
Does location actually decide Restaurant Manager pay?
Unlike remote-capable roles, a Restaurant Manager cannot separate where they earn from where they live. The $77,900 to $52,300 range across these metros is therefore a genuine relocation decision, not an arbitrage opportunity.
Highest-paying is not the same as best-off
The nominal ranking and the useful ranking are not the same. In Honolulu, $77,900 against $2,100/month rent leaves roughly $52,700 a year after housing. In Mobile, $52,300 against $850 leaves about $42,100. The top still wins after rent, but by $10,600 rather than the $25,600 the headline suggests.
Why these metros and not others
What puts a metro near the top here is employer density, not price level. Honolulu (U.S. Pacific Fleet/Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Queen's Health Systems); San Francisco (Salesforce, Google); Los Angeles (Walt Disney Company, Netflix). Where hospitality employers compete for the same candidates, offers rise above what the local cost of living alone would predict.
Salaries are modelled from BLS national medians adjusted for local price level at a wage elasticity below 1 — pay rises with local costs but not proportionally. See our methodology.