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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

35-2011 Cooks, Fast Food

Prepare and cook food in a fast food restaurant with a limited menu. Duties of these cooks are limited to preparation of a few basic items and normally involve operating large-volume single-purpose cooking equipment.

National estimates for Cooks, Fast Food
Industry profile for Cooks, Fast Food
Geographic profile for Cooks, Fast Food

National estimates for Cooks, Fast Food:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Cooks, Fast Food:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
768,130 2.2 % $ 12.25 $ 25,490 0.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for Cooks, Fast Food:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 8.68 $ 10.39 $ 11.63 $ 14.19 $ 15.11
Annual Wage (2) $ 18,050 $ 21,610 $ 24,180 $ 29,510 $ 31,420

Industry profile for Cooks, Fast Food:

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Cooks, Fast Food:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Restaurants and Other Eating Places 744,680 7.90 $ 12.22 $ 25,420
Gasoline Stations 8,560 0.92 $ 12.28 $ 25,550
Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) 5,850 0.20 $ 13.36 $ 27,780
Other Amusement and Recreation Industries 1,760 0.16 $ 13.67 $ 28,430
Special Food Services 1,590 0.33 $ 14.89 $ 30,960

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Cooks, Fast Food:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Restaurants and Other Eating Places 744,680 7.90 $ 12.22 $ 25,420
Gasoline Stations 8,560 0.92 $ 12.28 $ 25,550
Special Food Services 1,590 0.33 $ 14.89 $ 30,960
Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) 5,850 0.20 $ 13.36 $ 27,780
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) 540 0.17 $ 13.59 $ 28,280

Top paying industries for Cooks, Fast Food:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Beverage Manufacturing (8) (8) $ 16.25 $ 33,800
Elementary and Secondary Schools 240 (7) $ 16.24 $ 33,780
Management of Companies and Enterprises (8) (8) $ 15.12 $ 31,450
Traveler Accommodation 590 0.04 $ 15.10 $ 31,410
Motion Picture and Video Industries 70 0.02 $ 15.03 $ 31,260

Geographic profile for Cooks, Fast Food:

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



Map of employment of cooks, fast food by state, May 2021


States with the highest employment level in Cooks, Fast Food:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 123,640 7.48 1.37 $ 15.35 $ 31,930
North Carolina 78,870 17.84 3.27 $ 10.26 $ 21,340
Florida 41,040 4.77 0.87 $ 11.48 $ 23,870
Missouri 39,910 14.63 2.68 $ 11.90 $ 24,750
Kentucky 38,740 21.07 3.87 $ 10.00 $ 20,790


Map of location quotient of cooks, fast food by state, May 2021


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Cooks, Fast Food:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kentucky 38,740 21.07 3.87 $ 10.00 $ 20,790
North Carolina 78,870 17.84 3.27 $ 10.26 $ 21,340
Missouri 39,910 14.63 2.68 $ 11.90 $ 24,750
West Virginia 9,290 14.12 2.59 $ 10.18 $ 21,170
Oklahoma 20,480 13.15 2.41 $ 10.90 $ 22,670


Map of annual mean wages of cooks, fast food by state, May 2021


Top paying states for Cooks, Fast Food:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 1,990 3.01 0.55 $ 18.71 $ 38,920
Hawaii 720 1.31 0.24 $ 17.79 $ 37,010
Washington 9,750 3.04 0.56 $ 16.08 $ 33,450
New York 10,030 1.16 0.21 $ 15.71 $ 32,680
Massachusetts 4,640 1.37 0.25 $ 15.69 $ 32,620



Map of employment of cooks, fast food by area, May 2021


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Cooks, Fast Food:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 41,060 7.18 1.32 $ 15.43 $ 32,090
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 24,020 11.35 2.08 $ 13.62 $ 28,330
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 17,960 11.74 2.15 $ 14.70 $ 30,570
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 16,770 13.86 2.54 $ 10.95 $ 22,780
St. Louis, MO-IL 15,220 11.92 2.19 $ 12.41 $ 25,810
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 14,550 3.44 0.63 $ 12.78 $ 26,590
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 14,000 1.61 0.30 $ 16.20 $ 33,700
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 11,650 8.38 1.54 $ 15.39 $ 32,020
Raleigh, NC 11,020 17.40 3.19 $ 10.58 $ 22,010
Kansas City, MO-KS 10,490 10.32 1.89 $ 12.33 $ 25,640


Map of location quotient of cooks, fast food by area, May 2021


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Cooks, Fast Food:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Jacksonville, NC 1,750 36.41 6.68 $ 9.55 $ 19,860
Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY 1,460 28.25 5.18 $ 9.58 $ 19,930
Fayetteville, NC 3,310 26.49 4.86 $ 9.82 $ 20,430
Burlington, NC 1,620 26.27 4.82 $ 10.20 $ 21,220
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ 1,300 24.76 4.54 $ 13.15 $ 27,340
Goldsboro, NC 970 24.70 4.53 $ 9.68 $ 20,140
Bowling Green, KY 1,770 24.53 4.50 $ 9.50 $ 19,760
New Bern, NC 1,020 23.71 4.35 $ 9.72 $ 20,220
Rocky Mount, NC 1,250 23.48 4.31 $ 9.62 $ 20,020
Greenville, NC 1,690 22.42 4.11 $ 9.99 $ 20,770