Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2014

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)
1,104,790 0.7 % $11.40 $23,700 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.29 $9.20 $10.81 $13.10 $15.35
Annual Wage (2) $17,240 $19,130 $22,490 $27,250 $31,940


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)
Restaurants and Other Eating Places 949,940 9.87 $11.17 $23,230
Traveler Accommodation 65,300 3.51 $13.81 $28,730
Other Amusement and Recreation Industries 22,180 1.92 $12.44 $25,860
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) 17,270 4.76 $11.09 $23,070
Special Food Services 15,350 2.42 $12.27 $25,510

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Restaurants and Other Eating Places 949,940 9.87 $11.17 $23,230
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) 17,270 4.76 $11.09 $23,070
Traveler Accommodation 65,300 3.51 $13.81 $28,730
Gambling Industries 7,850 2.98 (8) (8)
Special Food Services 15,350 2.42 $12.27 $25,510

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 40 (7) $15.78 $32,830
Facilities Support Services 40 0.03 $14.63 $30,430
Grocery Stores 3,210 0.12 $14.40 $29,960
Home Furnishings Stores 60 0.02 $14.03 $29,190
Traveler Accommodation 65,300 3.51 $13.81 $28,730


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 126,360 8.36 1.02 $11.90 $24,750
Florida 91,740 11.97 1.46 $11.78 $24,500
Texas 88,020 7.84 0.96 $10.68 $22,220
New York 62,930 7.14 0.87 $12.81 $26,640
Ohio 41,060 7.90 0.97 $10.68 $22,220



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 18,890 15.88 1.94 $13.75 $28,600
Hawaii 8,930 14.58 1.78 $14.22 $29,580
Oregon 21,920 13.02 1.59 $11.41 $23,740
Florida 91,740 11.97 1.46 $11.78 $24,500
Colorado 24,850 10.49 1.28 $11.71 $24,360



Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 5,410 8.01 0.98 $14.44 $30,040
Hawaii 8,930 14.58 1.78 $14.22 $29,580
New Jersey (8) (8) (8) $14.16 $29,450
Alaska 2,360 7.25 0.89 $14.07 $29,260
Nevada 18,890 15.88 1.94 $13.75 $28,600




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 37,390 6.93 0.85 $13.41 $27,890
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 32,140 7.92 0.97 $11.48 $23,880
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 26,530 7.07 0.86 $11.37 $23,660
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 20,810 7.32 0.90 $10.61 $22,080
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 19,370 8.15 1.00 $12.93 $26,890
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 18,500 7.75 0.95 $11.41 $23,730
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 17,290 7.73 0.94 $11.58 $24,080
Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ 16,850 9.23 1.13 $11.20 $23,300
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 16,010 8.77 1.07 $12.03 $25,020
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 15,850 14.68 1.80 $11.81 $24,560



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

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach-Conway, SC 2,470 21.21 2.59 $10.15 $21,100
Naples-Marco Island, FL 2,630 21.03 2.57 $12.13 $25,230
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL 1,460 19.05 2.33 $11.35 $23,610
Ocean City, NJ 720 18.63 2.28 $13.15 $27,350
Flagstaff, AZ 1,060 18.45 2.26 $11.16 $23,210
Palm Coast, FL 360 18.16 2.22 $10.15 $21,100
Bend, OR 1,180 18.03 2.20 $11.44 $23,790
Las Vegas-Paradise, NV 15,450 17.74 2.17 $14.21 $29,570
Punta Gorda, FL 710 16.96 2.07 $10.26 $21,340
North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL 4,370 16.91 2.07 $11.14 $23,180



Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division 8,640 6.85 0.84 $14.86 $30,910
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA 1,170 10.85 1.33 $14.71 $30,590
Anchorage, AK 1,430 8.10 0.99 $14.45 $30,050
Las Vegas-Paradise, NV 15,450 17.74 2.17 $14.21 $29,570
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 10,780 9.92 1.21 $14.21 $29,560
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ 1,730 13.17 1.61 $14.15 $29,430
Peabody, MA NECTA Division 790 7.70 0.94 $13.94 $28,990
Newark-Union, NJ-PA Metropolitan Division (8) (8) (8) $13.85 $28,820
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 14,370 8.00 0.98 $13.84 $28,790
Taunton-Norton-Raynham, MA NECTA Division 360 8.44 1.03 $13.81 $28,720

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hawaii / Maui / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 3,170 19.34 2.37 $17.23 $35,840
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 3,110 8.01 0.98 $8.94 $18,590
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 2,740 9.29 1.14 $9.58 $19,920
Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 2,500 13.32 1.63 $9.61 $19,990
Western Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 2,060 8.06 0.99 $9.53 $19,810

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

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Shoreham Town, Rhode Island nonmetropolitan area 40 70.71 8.64 $10.72 $22,300
Coastal Oregon nonmetropolitan area 1,580 22.92 2.80 $11.36 $23,620
Nantucket Island and Martha's Vineyard nonmetropolitan area 360 22.77 2.79 $15.24 $31,710
Eastern Sierra Region of California nonmetropolitan area 300 22.69 2.78 $12.50 $25,990
North Central Colorado nonmetropolitan area 1,670 21.39 2.62 $14.11 $29,340

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hawaii / Maui / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 3,170 19.34 2.37 $17.23 $35,840
Southeast Alaska nonmetropolitan area 220 6.38 0.78 $16.03 $33,350
Nantucket Island and Martha's Vineyard nonmetropolitan area 360 22.77 2.79 $15.24 $31,710
Eastern Connecticut nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $14.58 $30,330
Northwestern Connecticut nonmetropolitan area 280 7.79 0.95 $14.29 $29,720


About May 2014 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2014 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2014 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2014 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2014 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2014 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 25, 2015