NAICS industry sectorNAICS 72Rank #17Updated Jun 2026

Accommodation & Food Services

H-1B sponsorship activity by employers classified under NAICS 2-digit sector 72. 34,702 filings from 2,395 distinct sponsoring employers.

Filings

531

Rank #17 · FY2026

Employers

2,395

distinct sponsors · all years

Filings / employer

concentration hint · all years

Summary

Accommodation & Food Services (NAICS 72) encompasses hotels, restaurants, catering, and other hospitality businesses. In FY2026, the sector filed 531 H-1B petitions, continuing modest participation in the visa program relative to its overall workforce size.

Since LCA data collection began, Accommodation & Food Services has accumulated 34,702 H-1B filings across 2,395 distinct employers. The sector's consistent sponsorship by thousands of firms—despite relatively low filing volume per employer—reflects sporadic demand for specialized roles such as executive chefs, sommelier consultants, and hospitality managers who may require visa sponsorship.

The sector's H-1B activity suggests reliance on domestic labor for most positions, with visa sponsorship concentrated in high-skill culinary, management, and technical hospitality roles. The large employer base relative to total filings indicates that H-1B use is distributed across many small to mid-sized hospitality companies rather than concentrated in a few large chains.

Accommodation Food Services H-1B
hospitality H-1B sponsorship
restaurant hotel H-1B filings
H-1B accommodation sector
food service visa sponsorship

Filings by fiscal year

H-1B filing volume in the Accommodation & Food Services sector year over year.

Time series
Period	Value
FY2010	3,841
FY2011	3,129
FY2012	2,748
FY2013	2,059
FY2014	1,908
FY2015	2,211
FY2016	2,092
FY2017	2,107
FY2018	1,800
FY2019	1,879
FY2020	1,422
FY2021	1,854
FY2022	1,559
FY2023	1,817
FY2024	1,701
FY2025	2,044
FY2026	531

Top sponsoring employers

Largest H-1B sponsors in the Accommodation & Food Services sector.

#	Employer	Filings
1	Marriott International, Inc.	599
2	Choice Hotels International Services Corp	421
3	Compass Group USA, Inc.	360
4	Hilton Domestic Operating Company Inc.	314
5	Hyatt Corporation	276
6	McDonald's Corporation	243
7	Six Continents Hotels, Inc. (InterContinental Hotels Group)	242
8	COLUMBIA SUSSEX MANAGEMENT, LLC	237
9	MGM Resorts International Operations, Inc.	233
10	Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, LLC	225

Marriott International, Inc.

599

Choice Hotels Internationa…

421

Compass Group USA, Inc.

360

Hilton Domestic Operating …

314

Hyatt Corporation

276

McDonald's Corporation

243

Six Continents Hotels, Inc…

242

COLUMBIA SUSSEX MANAGEMENT…

237

MGM Resorts International …

233

Starwood Hotels & Resorts …

225

Top occupations sponsored

SOC codes filed most by employers in this sector.

#	SOC	Title	Filings
1	15-1252	Software Developers	3,576
2	11-1021	General and Operations Managers	3,252
3	13-2011	Accountants and Auditors	2,677
4	13-1161	Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists	2,135
5	11-9051	Food Service Managers	1,751
6	35-1011	Chefs and Head Cooks	1,686
7	11-9081	Lodging Managers	1,506
8	13-1111	Management Analysts	1,404
9	15-2051	Data Scientists	1,062
10	11-3031	Financial Managers	974

Software Developers

3,576

General and Operations Man…

3,252

Accountants and Auditors

2,677

Market Research Analysts a…

2,135

Food Service Managers

1,751

Chefs and Head Cooks

1,686

Lodging Managers

1,506

Management Analysts

1,404

Data Scientists

1,062

Financial Managers

974

Top hiring states

Worksite states with the most filings from the Accommodation & Food Services sector.

#	State	Filings
1	NY	5,360
2	CA	3,922
3	FL	3,345
4	TX	2,436
5	IL	1,451
6	VA	1,400
7	NJ	1,365
8	MD	1,322
9	GA	1,135
10	NV	982

5,360

3,922

3,345

2,436

1,451

1,400

1,365

1,322

1,135

982

Compare Accommodation & Food Services with another sector

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Popular comparisons

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