BLS wage data and December 2025 CPI figures show the hospitality pay surge has plateaued

AUSTIN, Texas, March 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Hospitality wages grew in 2025, but after inflation, the average food service worker ended the year only 26 cents an hour better off in real purchasing power.

That’s the finding from OysterLink’s analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data and December 2025 CPI figures. Average hourly earnings in food services and drinking places rose from $19.00 in December 2024 to $19.77 in December 2025 — a nominal gain of $0.77 per hour, or 4.1%. But with U.S. inflation running at 2.7% in December 2025, the real purchasing power gain after prices are accounted for was just 1.4% — approximately $0.26 per hour.

“Operators raised wages again in 2025, and that’s real money coming out of their margins,” said Milos Eric, General Manager at OysterLink. “But from a worker’s perspective, the gap between the wage headline and what workers actually feel is exactly why the labor market in hospitality stays tight even as pay keeps rising.”

Dec 2024 avg hourly earnings	$19.00
Dec 2025 avg hourly earnings	$19.77
Nominal raise	+$0.77/hr
Nominal wage growth	+4.1 %
December 2025 CPI inflation	+2.7 %
Real wage growth	+1.4 %
Real raise (purchasing power)	+$0.26/hr
Inflation’s share of the raise	$0.51 of every $0.77

Wage source: BLS CES Series CES7072200008 — https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CES7072200008 Inflation source: U.S. CPI December 2025, Trading Economics / BLS — https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/inflation-cpi

The Plateau Problem

The 2025 figures continue a trend that has been building since the post-pandemic wage surge peaked. Wage growth in hospitality has now held at 4.1% for two consecutive years — the same rate in December 2025 as in December 2024. The aggressive competition for workers that drove 17.7% wage growth in 2021 has given way to incremental, inflation-adjacent increases that leave workers’ real position essentially unchanged year over year.

“The 4.1% wage growth in 2025 is not nothing,” Eric noted. “But it’s not a differentiator either. When every operator in your market is raising wages at roughly the same rate as inflation, pay stops being a reason to choose one job over another. The competition shifts to everything else — scheduling, benefits, culture, career trajectory. Most of the industry hasn’t caught up to that reality yet.”

About OysterLink

OysterLink is a job platform dedicated to the hospitality industry. We connect restaurants, hotels, and hospitality employers with skilled candidates across the U.S. and internationally.

With job listings, including server jobs in Austin or chef jobs in Houstion, industry insights, and career resources, OysterLink helps professionals build rewarding careers in hospitality.

Currently, OysterLink attracts over 350,000 monthly visitors and continues to grow steadily. For more information, visit oysterlink.com or contact PR Rep Ana at [email protected].

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