Restaurant Staffing Still Below Pre-Covid in 17 States

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A new analysis from the National Restaurant Association compares current restaurant staffing levels with those of the pre-Covid period. Utilizing BLS data, the Association found that “employment at eating and drinking establishments” in December 2025 was 1.9% higher than it was in February 2020. However, employment at full service establishments was still 3% below the early 2020 level. On a state-by-state level, the Association found significant disparities in the data. Restaurant employment between 3Q19 and 3Q25 fell in 17 states but significantly increased in a number of others. The states seeing the largest declines were Massachusetts (-3.4%), Illinois (-3.2%), West Virginia (-3.0%), Maryland (-2.9%), and California (-2.8%). Conversely, the five states recording the greatest increases in restaurant employment over that period were Idaho (+19.8%), South Dakota (+18.8%), Utah (+14.7%), Nevada (+13.6%), and Montana (+12.2%).  The exhibit is reproduced from the Association's web site.






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