Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2010

35-2014 Cooks, Restaurant

Prepare, season, and cook dishes such as soups, meats, vegetables, or desserts in restaurants. May order supplies, keep records and accounts, price items on menu, or plan menu.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
901,310 0.9 % $11.18 $23,260 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $7.95 $8.93 $10.65 $12.88 $15.30
Annual Wage (2) $16,530 $18,580 $22,140 $26,800 $31,830

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Full-Service Restaurants 717,060 16.07 $11.03 $22,950
Traveler Accommodation 55,210 3.30 $13.27 $27,600
Limited-Service Eating Places 54,160 1.35 $9.88 $20,560
Other Amusement and Recreation Industries 19,150 1.80 $12.43 $25,850
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) 12,550 3.64 $10.94 $22,750

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Full-Service Restaurants 717,060 16.07 $11.03 $22,950
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) 12,550 3.64 $10.94 $22,750
Traveler Accommodation 55,210 3.30 $13.27 $27,600
Gambling Industries 4,100 3.17 $12.28 $25,540
Special Food Services 12,210 2.22 $12.37 $25,720

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services 30 (7) $16.49 $34,300
Other Personal Services (8) (8) $15.34 $31,900
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 140 (7) $14.47 $30,090
Clothing Stores 90 0.01 $13.78 $28,670
Specialty Food Stores 240 0.11 $13.63 $28,350

Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 94,910 6.78 0.96 $12.05 $25,050
Florida 74,110 10.43 1.47 $11.41 $23,730
Texas 71,410 7.08 1.00 $9.39 $19,530
New York 44,910 5.38 0.76 $13.60 $28,280
Ohio 33,110 6.73 0.95 $10.11 $21,040




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nevada 15,540 13.95 1.97 $14.07 $29,270
Florida 74,110 10.43 1.47 $11.41 $23,730
Colorado 21,510 9.97 1.41 $11.15 $23,190
Delaware 3,820 9.61 1.36 $11.37 $23,640
Montana 3,860 9.10 1.28 $10.00 $20,800




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hawaii 5,200 9.09 1.28 $14.35 $29,840
Nevada 15,540 13.95 1.97 $14.07 $29,270
District of Columbia 4,620 7.23 1.02 $13.76 $28,620
New York 44,910 5.38 0.76 $13.60 $28,280
Connecticut 8,020 5.01 0.71 $13.52 $28,110

Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 27,070 5.43 0.77 $14.34 $29,830
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 24,160 6.33 0.89 $11.80 $24,550
Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL Metropolitan Division 20,510 5.79 0.82 $11.02 $22,910
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 17,220 6.89 0.97 $9.09 $18,900
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 15,860 7.92 1.12 $9.67 $20,110
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 15,180 6.63 0.94 $12.52 $26,050
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 14,830 8.84 1.25 $11.61 $24,150
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 14,170 6.44 0.91 $10.66 $22,170
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 13,620 8.21 1.16 $12.68 $26,370
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 13,270 7.88 1.11 $10.81 $22,490