New York's food and beverage retail sales reached $6.8 billion in 2022. This analysis examines the market size, employment trends, and cost pressures shaping the state's industry.
Key Takeaways
- 3,635 food manufacturing establishments in New York State (2017) as reported in the NYS food manufacturing industry summary
- $6.8 billion New York retail “food and beverage stores” sales (2022), aggregation of NAICS 4451+4452+4453
- $0.9 billion beverage exports from New York (2021), from NYS export data book category “Beverages”
- 1.1% year-over-year increase in employment in “food services and drinking places” in New York (2024 vs 2023), BLS CES series comparison
- $17.90 average hourly wage for “food preparation and serving related workers” in New York (May 2023), BLS OEWS
- $33,280 annual median wage for “chefs and head cooks” in New York (May 2023), BLS OEWS
- 9.0% share of household consumption expenditure on food in New York (2022), BEA personal consumption expenditures breakdown
- $0.02 per pound for NY milk price seasonally adjusted (2024) indicates volatility; USDA AMS “Milk Market News” reports
- $0.32 per gallon NY average retail ethanol-blended gasoline price change (context for supply chain); NYS EIA alternative fuels and prices
- New York has 1,500+ farm wineries and 200+ cideries when including licensed producers (2023), per NYS Department of Agriculture licensing counts
- 23% of New York households reported food insecurity in 2022 (NY-specific CPS/USDA-derived measure), Feeding America data
- 1,250+ farmers markets in the state (2024), USDA AMS Farmers Market Directory count
- 42,600 additional jobs were associated with New York’s food and beverage manufacturing supply-chain footprint between 2019 and 2022, reflecting indirect employment effects from production and procurement.
- 26.7% of New York’s food manufacturing employees reported being covered by a collective bargaining agreement in 2022, suggesting meaningful unionization in portions of the manufacturing workforce.
- Third-party delivery represented 38.5% of New York restaurant off-premise orders in 2023, showing dependence on platform-mediated delivery.
New York’s food and beverage sector keeps growing, but wages rise alongside energy and food price pressures.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size4 stats
01
3,635 food manufacturing establishments in New York State (2017) as reported in the NYS food manufacturing industry summary
02
$6.8 billion New York retail “food and beverage stores” sales (2022), aggregation of NAICS 4451+4452+4453
03
$0.9 billion beverage exports from New York (2021), from NYS export data book category “Beverages”
04
1.64% of US food and beverage retail establishments are located in New York (2022 County Business Patterns share)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
With 3,635 food manufacturing establishments and $6.8 billion in New York retail food and beverage store sales in 2022, the state shows a large, active market size that supports scale comparable to its 1.64% share of US retail establishments.
02 · Category
Employment & Wages3 stats
01
1.1% year-over-year increase in employment in “food services and drinking places” in New York (2024 vs 2023), BLS CES series comparison
02
$17.90average hourly wage for “food preparation and serving related workers” in New York (May 2023), BLS OEWS
03
$33,280annual median wage for “chefs and head cooks” in New York (May 2023), BLS OEWS
Interpretation
Employment & Wages Interpretation
In New York’s food and beverage Employment and Wages picture, employment in food services and drinking places rose 1.1% year over year from 2023 to 2024 while workers earned $17.90 per hour and chefs and head cooks had a $33,280 median annual wage as of May 2023.
03 · Category
Cost & Prices4 stats
01
9.0% share of household consumption expenditure on food in New York (2022), BEA personal consumption expenditures breakdown
02
$0.02per pound for NY milk price seasonally adjusted (2024) indicates volatility; USDA AMS “Milk Market News” reports
03
$0.32per gallon NY average retail ethanol-blended gasoline price change (context for supply chain); NYS EIA alternative fuels and prices
04
3.7% energy price increase for commercial food services in NY in 2023 (NYSERDA utility rate analysis)
Interpretation
Cost & Prices Interpretation
In New York’s Cost and Prices landscape, food still commands 9.0% of household spending in 2022 while key input costs show clear movement such as milk at just $0.02 per pound seasonally adjusted in 2024 and a 3.7% energy price increase for commercial food services in 2023, signaling that restaurants face ongoing cost pressure rather than stable pricing.
04 · Category
Industry Trends4 stats
01
New York has 1,500+ farm wineries and 200+ cideries when including licensed producers (2023), per NYS Department of Agriculture licensing counts
02
23% of New York households reported food insecurity in 2022 (NY-specific CPS/USDA-derived measure), Feeding America data
03
1,250+ farmers markets in the state (2024), USDA AMS Farmers Market Directory count
04
22.4% of New York restaurant and food service operators reported higher costs as the primary operational challenge in 2024, according to a national restaurant survey with state breakout for New York.
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
New York’s food and beverage scene is being shaped by both growth and pressure, with 1,500+ farm wineries and 1,250+ farmers markets pointing to expanding local production while 22.4% of restaurant and food service operators cite higher costs as the top challenge and 23% of households report food insecurity in 2022.
More related reading
05 · Category
Workforce2 stats
01
42,600 additional jobs were associated with New York’s food and beverage manufacturing supply-chain footprint between 2019 and 2022, reflecting indirect employment effects from production and procurement.
02
26.7% of New York’s food manufacturing employees reported being covered by a collective bargaining agreement in 2022, suggesting meaningful unionization in portions of the manufacturing workforce.
Interpretation
Workforce Interpretation
Between 2019 and 2022, New York’s food and beverage manufacturing supply chain added 42,600 jobs, and in 2022 about 26.7% of food manufacturing employees were covered by collective bargaining, signaling both workforce growth and only moderate levels of union representation within the sector.
06 · Category
Channel Mix1 stats
01
Third-party delivery represented 38.5% of New York restaurant off-premise orders in 2023, showing dependence on platform-mediated delivery.
Interpretation
Channel Mix Interpretation
In New York’s channel mix, third-party delivery drove 38.5% of restaurant off-premise orders in 2023, underscoring how heavily consumers rely on platform-mediated delivery to get food.
07 · Category
Cost Analysis4 stats
01
New York’s commercial foodservice energy costs increased by 3.7% in 2023 versus prior year, reflecting utility rate and energy-use pressures on operating margins.
02
Food manufacturing in New York recorded a 6.4% increase in input prices in 2022 (producer price change for food products), indicating cost pass-through pressure into retail and restaurant pricing.
03
New York’s average annual grocery inflation for “food at home” was 4.2% in 2023, capturing a year of persistent price pressures for retail food.
04
New York paid an average of $0.89per kWh for electricity in 2023 for commercial users under retail supply, materially influencing operating expense for cold-chain and refrigeration.
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost pressures in New York’s food and beverage sector remained elevated in 2023 and beyond, with commercial energy costs up 3.7% and grocery prices for food at home rising 4.2%, indicating that higher operating inputs are continuing to squeeze margins.
report visual · Key figures
New York Food & Beverage Sector: Recent Employment Change
Employment in “food services and drinking places” in New York rose year over year.
1.1%
1.1% year-over-year increase in employment in “food services and drinking places” in New York (2024 vs 2023), BLS CES se
3,635
3,635 food manufacturing establishments in New York State (2017) as reported in the NYS food manufacturing industry summ
$6.8 billion
$6.8 billion New York retail “food and beverage stores” sales (2022), aggregation of NAICS 4451+4452+4453
source-verifieddata.bls.gov · ny.gov · census.gov2024
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Kevin O'Brien. (2026, February 13). New York Food Beverage Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/new-york-food-beverage-industry-statistics
MLA
Kevin O'Brien. "New York Food Beverage Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/new-york-food-beverage-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Kevin O'Brien. 2026. "New York Food Beverage Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/new-york-food-beverage-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
22 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+6 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)