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Hiring a food service manager in Sioux Falls, SD

Employers in the Sioux Falls, SD-MN area pay food service managers a median of $60,670, with the middle half of the market between $56,910 and $71,660. Sioux Falls residents working in management occupations report a median of $73,654, which is 21% above what the metro pays for this role.

What does a food service manager earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the Sioux Falls, SD-MN area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile$56,910
Median$60,670
75th percentile$71,660

Half of food service managers in this area earn between $56,910 and $71,660. A band set below $56,910 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Sioux Falls residents earn

$73,654

Median earnings of Sioux Falls residents working in management occupations, 11,760 people. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. Where people live, not where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

The 21% figure is not a pay gap. ACS counts the civilian employed population 16 and over, part-time and part-year work included; OEWS counts wage-and-salary jobs only. The two populations differ, so read this number against other cities rather than as a shortfall: the same definitional difference applies to every city equally, which is what makes a city-to-city reading sound.

Residents here already earn more than this role pays, so your offer is competing with whatever they currently commute to.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

  • Keep records required by government agencies regarding sanitation or food subsidies.
  • Investigate and resolve complaints regarding food quality, service, or accommodations.
  • Maintain food and equipment inventories, and keep inventory records.
  • Monitor food preparation methods, portion sizes, and garnishing and presentation of food to ensure that food is prepared and presented in an acceptable manner.
  • Schedule and receive food and beverage deliveries, checking delivery contents to verify product quality and quantity.

O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 11-9051.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Office software, Facebook, Google Docs, Intuit QuickBooks, Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint.

O*NET 29.1, flagged in demand or hot for this occupation. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Sioux Falls?

This is a job zone two: some preparation needed occupation. These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

It does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 37.4% of Sioux Falls adults hold one. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501.

The average Sioux Falls commute runs 17 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 9.4% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Lincoln County, management of companies and enterprises employs 1,224 and turns over 3.3% a quarter, with 63 hires against 58 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $6,816 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 55.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about food service managers. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a low-churn market, where people do not move often and passive candidates are the whole game.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's median would bill roughly $12,134 to $18,201 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.

Hiring a food service manager somewhere else?

Same role, different market. The wage band moves with the metro.

Other management roles in Sioux Falls

Related

Sioux Falls is the largest of 1 South Dakota cities in this dataset.