Cooks, Restaurant
With 160,270 professionals, Cooks, Restaurant is a significant occupation in the U.S. workforce. The field has seen strong growth, with employment increasing by 9.9% over recent years.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Cooks, Restaurant workforce.
Employment Over Time
160,270 Workforce in 2023
The Cooks, Restaurant workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Cooks, Restaurant.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$45,498 Average Wage
In 2023, Cooks, Restaurant earned an average of $45,498.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Cooks, Restaurant.
Salary distribution for Cooks, Restaurant.
Employment Growth Projections
3.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
743,570 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 16.2%
864,008 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 35.0%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.0% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Cooks, Restaurant.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Cooks, Restaurant and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Cooks, Restaurant employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Cooks, Restaurant.
Wage Trends by Industry
4.8% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Cooks, Restaurant.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Cooks, Restaurant.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 151,630 employees, $45,637 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Cooks, Restaurant.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 41,110 employees, $45,328 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 16,650 employees, $46,024 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 16,310 employees, $42,207 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 15,380 employees, $45,241 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 11,160 employees, $49,162 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 9,770 employees, $48,789 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 8,570 employees, $44,654 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 8,460 employees, $51,617 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 3,210 employees, $42,742 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 2,910 employees, $40,479 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Cooks, Restaurant.
Diversity
Demographic information on Cooks, Restaurant in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Cooks, Restaurant in 2023 was 160,270 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Cooks, Restaurant.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Cooks, Restaurant.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Cooks, Restaurant.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Cooks, Restaurant in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Cooks, Restaurant.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Cooks, Restaurant workers.
Education level distribution for Cooks, Restaurant.
Skills
Cooks, Restaurant need many skills, but most especially Monitoring, Time Management, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Active Listening.
Required skills for Cooks, Restaurant.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Cooks, Restaurant.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Cooks, Restaurant include Food Production, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Production and Processing, Education and Training.
Knowledge areas required for Cooks, Restaurant.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Cooks, Restaurant include Near Vision, Speech Recognition, Manual Dexterity, Information Ordering, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Cooks, Restaurant.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Cooks, Restaurant.
Daily Activities
Cooks, Restaurant spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Handling and Moving Objects.
Most important work activities for Cooks, Restaurant.
About
Cooks, Restaurant
The average yearly wage for Cooks, Restaurant was $45,498 in 2023.
SOC Code
35-2014 - Cooks, Restaurant
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Cooks, Restaurant reports an average salary of $45,498.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 160,270 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.0%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.