Food truck revenue reached $3.019256 billion in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Mobile Food Services table. Earlier Economic Census data recorded $1.2 billion in employer-establishment sales in 2017, while 2018 business data counted 5,970 establishments and $320.6 million in annual payroll. The figures below cover different Census programs and years, so each measurement period and scope matters.
Contents
- U.S. food truck revenue benchmarks
- Revenue growth from 2012 to 2017
- State revenue leaders and per-unit averages
- Employment, payroll, and business scale
- Geographic concentration
- Small firms and broader nonemployer context
- The 2022 Census benchmark
U.S. food truck revenue benchmarks
The Economic Census reported U.S. food truck sales of $660.5 million in 2012 and $1.2 billion in 2017. The same source reported a 2017 average of $226,291 in sales per establishment and $86,212 per employee. These are employer-establishment measures, not a complete estimate of every independent operator or informal seller.
The industry’s employer footprint also expanded. Food truck establishments numbered 3,281 in 2013 and 5,970 in 2018. In 2018, those businesses employed 16,210 workers and reported $320.6 million in annual payroll. The 2018 figures come from County Business Patterns, which reports employment during the week of March 12 and annual payroll for employer establishments.
| Census measure | Period | Reported figure |
|---|---|---|
| Food truck sales | 2012 | $660.5 million |
| Food truck sales | 2017 | $1.2 billion |
| Average sales per establishment | 2017 | $226,291 |
| Average sales per employee | 2017 | $86,212 |
| Establishments | 2018 | 5,970 |
| Annual payroll | 2018 | $320.6 million |
Source: Fast-Growing Food Truck Industry Can Operate Amid COVID-19 Social Distancing Rules, No Indoor Seating Orders, using the Census Bureau’s NAICS 722330 Mobile Food Services classification. Dollar values are nominal as reported; they are not adjusted for inflation.
Revenue growth from 2012 to 2017
Food truck sales increased 79% between 2012 and 2017, according to the Census Bureau’s Economic Census comparison. That change describes reported employer-establishment sales over the five-year period; it does not represent an inflation-adjusted growth rate or a forecast.
The largest state-level increases were concentrated in three states. California food truck sales increased by $114.5 million between 2012 and 2017. Texas sales increased by $82.5 million, while Florida sales increased by $57.8 million over the same period.
Texas also recorded a substantial increase in its establishment count. The number rose from 315 in 2013 to 549 in 2018, which the Census source describes as a 135% increase. The establishment dates differ from the sales comparison dates, so the two measures should be read separately.
Virginia provides a payroll example across the 2013 and 2018 CBP periods. Average annual payroll per food truck employee rose from $14,529 in 2013 to $23,811 in 2018, an increase of $9,282. This is payroll per employee, not revenue per employee, and the underlying CBP measure uses annual payroll for employer establishments.
State revenue leaders and per-unit averages
California led the states in 2017 food truck sales at $276.1 million. Texas followed with $112.6 million, and Florida recorded $98.3 million. The top three states by food truck sales were California, Texas, and Florida.
California also had the highest average sales per food truck establishment in 2017, at $392,136. That state-level average is higher than the nationwide 2017 average of $226,291 per establishment. Vermont had the highest average sales per food truck employee, at $157,400.
| 2017 state measure | State | Reported figure |
|---|---|---|
| Food truck sales | California | $276.1 million |
| Food truck sales | Texas | $112.6 million |
| Food truck sales | Florida | $98.3 million |
| Highest average sales per establishment | California | $392,136 |
| Highest average sales per employee | Vermont | $157,400 |
California had 753 food truck establishments in 2018, the largest establishment count identified in the supplied state data. South Dakota had 11. A high total sales figure, a high average per establishment, and a large number of establishments are different indicators of market size and operating scale.
The source also has important reporting limits. Census states that 2018 CBP cells are published only when they contain at least three establishments. Therefore, a missing or unpublished state or county cell should not automatically be interpreted as zero activity.
Employment, payroll, and business scale
The 2018 employer data show a predominantly small-establishment industry. There were 4,979 food truck establishments with fewer than five employees. Together, those establishments employed 5,187 workers and paid average annual payroll of $25,712 per employee.
Across all legal forms, food truck businesses reported $19,777 in average annual payroll per employee in 2018. The 1,879 businesses organized as S-corporations reported $20,872 average annual payroll per employee. These payroll figures describe employee compensation reported through the relevant Census program; they are not owner income or business profit.
The smallest establishments accounted for 5,187 of the industry’s 16,210 total food truck workers in 2018. Because the source reports this group by employee-count category, it helps describe workforce distribution but does not provide sales or profit for those small establishments.
The four states with detailed employer payroll figures in the source illustrate different scales:
- California food truck employers had 14,450 employees and reported $69.592 million in annual payroll in 2018.
- Texas food truck employers had 6,811 employees and reported $34.281 million in annual payroll.
- Florida food truck employers had 5,107 employees and reported $22.694 million in annual payroll.
- New York food truck employers had 3,324 employees and reported $19.043 million in annual payroll.
These state payroll figures come from County Business Patterns: 2018. They should not be combined with 2017 sales to create a margin or profitability estimate because the periods and measures differ.
Geographic concentration
Mobile Food Services businesses existed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2018. Even with nationwide coverage, establishments were concentrated in a smaller group of states: the top 10 states accounted for 57% of U.S. food truck establishments, and the top 20 accounted for 77%.
Several states outside the leading sales group had sizable establishment counts in 2018. Ohio had 475 food truck establishments, Oregon had 241, Washington had 230, Pennsylvania had 224, Colorado had 187, and Virginia had 172.
| Geography measure | 2018 figure |
|---|---|
| Top 10 states’ share of establishments | 57% |
| Top 20 states’ share of establishments | 77% |
| Ohio establishments | 475 |
| Oregon establishments | 241 |
| Washington establishments | 230 |
| Pennsylvania establishments | 224 |
| Colorado establishments | 187 |
| Virginia establishments | 172 |
The county pattern was more concentrated. The 20 counties with the most food trucks accounted for 1,374 establishments, or 23% of the 2018 total. The 50 counties with the most accounted for 2,230, or 37%.
Census published county data for 461 counties representing 5,104 food truck establishments, or 86% of the total, in 2018. Counties without published food truck data represented 866 establishments, or 14%. The published county figures therefore describe a substantial portion of the industry while leaving a stated share without county-level detail.
Small firms and broader nonemployer context
In 2017, 90% of food truck establishments were individual proprietorships, S-corporations, or individual partnerships. That legal-form distribution reinforces the importance of distinguishing employer-establishment statistics from broader business activity.
For wider context, the 2018 nonemployer group for Special Food Services, NAICS 7223, included 220,978 businesses and reported $6 billion in sales. This is not a food-truck-only total: it is a broader Special Food Services category. It should not be used as mobile food services revenue without additional allocation data.
The same scope distinction applies when comparing the 2018 nonemployer context with the 2018 Mobile Food Services employer figures. The 5,970 establishments, 16,210 workers, and $320.6 million payroll figure describe employer establishments classified under Mobile Food Services. The 220,978 businesses and $6 billion in sales describe the broader nonemployer Special Food Services group.
The 2022 Census benchmark
The 2022 Economic Census counted 10,062 employer firms in Mobile Food Services and 10,155 Mobile Food Services establishments. It reported $3.019256 billion in sales, value of shipments, or revenue, plus $705.023 million in annual payroll.
| 2022 Mobile Food Services measure | Reported figure |
|---|---|
| Employer firms | 10,062 |
| Establishments | 10,155 |
| Sales, value of shipments, or revenue | $3.019256 billion |
| Annual payroll | $705.023 million |
These 2022 figures come from the Census Bureau’s Accommodation and Food Services: Summary Statistics for the U.S., States, and Selected Geographies: 2022. The table’s symbols can indicate disclosure withholding or quality limitations, so individual cells should be read with the table’s notes. The 2022 revenue figure is a Census benchmark for Mobile Food Services, while the 2017 sales figures and 2018 CBP figures use their own program definitions and measurement periods.