Cooks, Fast Food
With 136,550 professionals, Cooks, Fast Food is a significant occupation in the U.S. workforce. While facing some shifts, the field is adapting to changes in the job market.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Cooks, Fast Food workforce.
Employment Over Time
136,550 Workforce in 2023
The Cooks, Fast Food workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Cooks, Fast Food.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$39,512 Average Wage
In 2023, Cooks, Fast Food earned an average of $39,512.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Cooks, Fast Food.
Salary distribution for Cooks, Fast Food.
Employment Growth Projections
0.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
567,629 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 4.2%
591,632 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 8.6%
This occupation is projected to grow at 0.8% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Cooks, Fast Food.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Cooks, Fast Food and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Cooks, Fast Food employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Cooks, Fast Food.
Wage Trends by Industry
5.0% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Cooks, Fast Food.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Cooks, Fast Food.
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: 130,340 employees, $39,496 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Cooks, Fast Food.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 40,150 employees, $39,023 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 17,370 employees, $38,618 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 15,600 employees, $39,131 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 12,450 employees, $38,628 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 7,840 employees, $39,060 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 6,220 employees, $43,908 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 4,610 employees, $37,599 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 4,560 employees, $43,533 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 3,720 employees, $44,034 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 2,770 employees, $39,337 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Cooks, Fast Food.
Diversity
Demographic information on Cooks, Fast Food in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Cooks, Fast Food in 2023 was 136,550 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Cooks, Fast Food.
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, Fast Food.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Cooks, Fast Food.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Cooks, Fast Food in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Cooks, Fast Food.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Cooks, Fast Food workers.
Education level distribution for Cooks, Fast Food.
Skills
Cooks, Fast Food need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Service Orientation, Coordination, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness.
Required skills for Cooks, Fast Food.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Cooks, Fast Food.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Cooks, Fast Food include Administration and Management, Transportation, Communications and Media, Public Safety and Security, Customer and Personal Service.
Knowledge areas required for Cooks, Fast Food.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Cooks, Fast Food include Oral Comprehension, Near Vision, Information Ordering, Speech Recognition, Written Comprehension.
Required abilities for Cooks, Fast Food.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Cooks, Fast Food.
Daily Activities
Cooks, Fast Food spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Handling and Moving Objects, Performing General Physical Activities, Processing Information.
Most important work activities for Cooks, Fast Food.
About
Cooks, Fast Food
The average yearly wage for Cooks, Fast Food was $39,512 in 2023.
SOC Code
35-2011 - Cooks, Fast Food
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Cooks, Fast Food reports an average salary of $39,512.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 136,550 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 0.8%, 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.