Food trucks and mobile food vendors in Washington: 496 locations, +9.6% jobs
Official counts for food trucks and mobile food vendors in Washington, 2026 Q1: how many there are, whether they are adding jobs, what they pay, and how Washington compares with the other states. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, refreshed each quarter.
Washington against the country · 2026 Q1
| Washington | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Food trucks and mobile food vendors with employees | 496 | 13,075 |
| Per 100,000 residents | 6.2 | 3.8 |
| Jobs | 1,539 | 42,986 |
| Jobs, year over year | +9.6% | +7.6% |
| Locations, year over year | +4.6% | +8.4% |
| Average weekly wage | $497 | $523 |
| Rank among states, density | 11 of 50 | |
| Rank among states, job growth | 23 of 50 |
What the numbers say
Washington has 496 food trucks and mobile food vendors with payroll, employing 1,539 people. At 6.2 per 100,000 residents the market is denser than the country as a whole, number 11 among the 50 states with published data. Jobs grew +9.6% over the year, ahead of the national +7.6%. Jobs grew faster than locations, which means existing operators are hiring: demand is being absorbed by the businesses already open.
Average pay at food trucks and mobile food vendors in Washington is $497 a week, 5% below the national figure of $523. Budget labor from this number, not from a national guide.
Over five years, from 2021 to 2025, the number of food trucks and mobile food vendors in Washington moved +47.6%, from 340 to 502.
Food trucks and mobile food vendors in Washington, annual average
- 2021340
- 2022367
- 2023362
- 2024431
- 2025502
Jobs at food trucks and mobile food vendors in Washington
- 20211,069
- 20221,371
- 20231,563
- 20241,642
- 20251,639
What counts as "food trucks and mobile food vendors" here
Mobile food services: food trucks, carts and stands that prepare and serve food from a vehicle or non-permanent stand. Catering is counted separately. The code is NAICS 722330. BLS counts establishments that report payroll, so a one-person business with no employees is not in these figures; in trades with many solo operators the true number of businesses is higher.
Before you open one in Washington
A statewide figure tells you which way the wind blows. It does not tell you whether the corner you are looking at has the households, the income and the gap in competition to support one more. A counts the food trucks and mobile food vendors within reach of one address in Washington, reads the county trend from the same BLS table, and scores the plan. The saturation check does a city-level version for free.
Questions people ask
How many food trucks and mobile food vendors are there in Washington?
BLS counted 496 food trucks and mobile food vendors with employees in Washington in 2026 Q1, employing 1,539 people. Owner-only businesses with no payroll are not in that count. That is 6.2 per 100,000 residents, against 3.8 nationally.
Are food trucks and mobile food vendors growing in Washington?
Yes. Jobs at food trucks and mobile food vendors in Washington changed +9.6% over the year to 2026 Q1, and the number of locations changed +4.6%. That ranks Washington 23 of 50 states for job growth in this business type. Over five years the location count moved +47.6%.
Is Washington a crowded market for food trucks and mobile food vendors?
Washington has 6.2 food trucks and mobile food vendors per 100,000 residents, denser than the country as a whole, ranking 11 of 50 states. Density is a statewide average; a Neur report counts the competitors around one address.
Food trucks and mobile food vendors in every state
Densest first. The number is food trucks and mobile food vendors per 100,000 residents in 2026 Q1.
Other business types in Washington
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private sector, NAICS 722330, 2026 Q1 (quarterly) and annual averages (five-year series); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year population estimates. This page is generated from those feeds and rewritten when a new quarter publishes. All 14 business types in Washington · Growth ranking for Washington · Food trucks and mobile food vendors by state