Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
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 Cooks, Restaurant
Industry profile for Cooks, Restaurant
Geographic profile for Cooks, Restaurant
National estimates for Cooks, Restaurant:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Cooks, Restaurant:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 1,193,860 |
1.1 % |
$ 15.21 |
$ 31,630 |
0.6 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Cooks, Restaurant:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 10.84 |
$ 13.37 |
$ 14.43 |
$ 17.54 |
$ 18.80 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 22,550 |
$ 27,810 |
$ 30,010 |
$ 36,480 |
$ 39,090 |
Industry profile for Cooks, Restaurant:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Cooks, Restaurant are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Cooks, Restaurant, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Cooks, Restaurant:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places |
1,028,940 |
10.91 |
$ 15.07 |
$ 31,350 |
| Traveler Accommodation |
44,580 |
3.24 |
$ 17.16 |
$ 35,690 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
30,120 |
9.82 |
$ 14.45 |
$ 30,060 |
| Other Amusement and Recreation Industries |
26,610 |
2.39 |
$ 16.07 |
$ 33,430 |
| Special Food Services |
18,200 |
3.84 |
$ 16.87 |
$ 35,090 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Cooks, Restaurant:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places |
1,028,940 |
10.91 |
$ 15.07 |
$ 31,350 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
30,120 |
9.82 |
$ 14.45 |
$ 30,060 |
| Special Food Services |
18,200 |
3.84 |
$ 16.87 |
$ 35,090 |
| Gambling Industries |
6,510 |
3.59 |
$ 15.56 |
$ 32,360 |
| Traveler Accommodation |
44,580 |
3.24 |
$ 17.16 |
$ 35,690 |
Top paying industries for Cooks, Restaurant:
Geographic profile for Cooks, Restaurant:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Cooks, Restaurant are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Cooks, Restaurant, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Cooks, Restaurant:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
129,350 |
7.82 |
0.92 |
$ 18.26 |
$ 37,980 |
| Texas |
117,530 |
9.61 |
1.13 |
$ 13.80 |
$ 28,710 |
| Florida |
102,950 |
11.96 |
1.41 |
$ 14.97 |
$ 31,130 |
| New York |
58,540 |
6.75 |
0.80 |
$ 17.42 |
$ 36,240 |
| Ohio |
47,910 |
9.21 |
1.09 |
$ 13.69 |
$ 28,470 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Cooks, Restaurant:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Nevada |
17,600 |
13.65 |
1.61 |
$ 15.62 |
$ 32,500 |
| Montana |
6,260 |
13.32 |
1.57 |
$ 13.87 |
$ 28,850 |
| Hawaii |
7,280 |
13.28 |
1.57 |
$ 18.66 |
$ 38,820 |
| Rhode Island |
5,920 |
12.93 |
1.53 |
$ 15.75 |
$ 32,750 |
| Florida |
102,950 |
11.96 |
1.41 |
$ 14.97 |
$ 31,130 |
Top paying states for Cooks, Restaurant:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| District of Columbia |
2,940 |
4.44 |
0.52 |
$ 19.41 |
$ 40,380 |
| Washington |
24,860 |
7.75 |
0.92 |
$ 18.99 |
$ 39,500 |
| Hawaii |
7,280 |
13.28 |
1.57 |
$ 18.66 |
$ 38,820 |
| Vermont |
1,900 |
6.69 |
0.79 |
$ 18.56 |
$ 38,600 |
| California |
129,350 |
7.82 |
0.92 |
$ 18.26 |
$ 37,980 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Cooks, Restaurant:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
54,410 |
6.27 |
0.74 |
$ 18.10 |
$ 37,650 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
49,520 |
8.66 |
1.02 |
$ 18.32 |
$ 38,100 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
33,100 |
9.22 |
1.09 |
$ 14.57 |
$ 30,310 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
31,150 |
12.70 |
1.50 |
$ 15.49 |
$ 32,220 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
30,870 |
10.66 |
1.26 |
$ 14.05 |
$ 29,210 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
28,910 |
6.83 |
0.81 |
$ 15.85 |
$ 32,970 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
25,460 |
9.84 |
1.16 |
$ 13.87 |
$ 28,840 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
19,440 |
7.52 |
0.89 |
$ 18.01 |
$ 37,460 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
19,170 |
6.54 |
0.77 |
$ 16.67 |
$ 34,670 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
18,130 |
8.57 |
1.01 |
$ 16.11 |
$ 33,510 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Cooks, Restaurant:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC |
4,050 |
24.95 |
2.94 |
$ 13.34 |
$ 27,740 |
| Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI |
1,500 |
23.41 |
2.76 |
$ 21.11 |
$ 43,900 |
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC |
1,740 |
23.25 |
2.74 |
$ 14.25 |
$ 29,640 |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL |
1,630 |
21.87 |
2.58 |
$ 12.75 |
$ 26,530 |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL |
2,420 |
21.23 |
2.50 |
$ 14.61 |
$ 30,390 |
| Ocean City, NJ |
730 |
18.73 |
2.21 |
$ 16.26 |
$ 33,820 |
| Brunswick, GA |
750 |
18.43 |
2.17 |
$ 12.52 |
$ 26,030 |
| Wilmington, NC |
2,300 |
17.80 |
2.10 |
$ 13.61 |
$ 28,300 |
| The Villages, FL |
590 |
17.65 |
2.08 |
$ 14.05 |
$ 29,220 |
| Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL |
2,560 |
17.46 |
2.06 |
$ 16.75 |
$ 34,840 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Cooks, Restaurant:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI |
1,500 |
23.41 |
2.76 |
$ 21.11 |
$ 43,900 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
5,630 |
5.27 |
0.62 |
$ 20.86 |
$ 43,380 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
14,310 |
7.46 |
0.88 |
$ 20.04 |
$ 41,690 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
17,710 |
7.90 |
0.93 |
$ 19.85 |
$ 41,290 |
| Napa, CA |
830 |
12.06 |
1.42 |
$ 19.66 |
$ 40,890 |
| Santa Rosa, CA |
1,950 |
10.17 |
1.20 |
$ 19.53 |
$ 40,630 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT |
2,750 |
7.33 |
0.86 |
$ 19.16 |
$ 39,850 |
| Salinas, CA |
1,420 |
8.41 |
0.99 |
$ 19.09 |
$ 39,720 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT |
770 |
6.71 |
0.79 |
$ 18.95 |
$ 39,420 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA |
780 |
6.03 |
0.71 |
$ 18.88 |
$ 39,280 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Cooks, Restaurant:
| Nonmetropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Kansas nonmetropolitan area |
3,430 |
9.13 |
1.08 |
$ 11.99 |
$ 24,940 |
| North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) |
3,300 |
10.51 |
1.24 |
$ 12.63 |
$ 26,270 |
| Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area |
2,860 |
24.46 |
2.89 |
$ 17.51 |
$ 36,430 |
| North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area |
2,560 |
9.64 |
1.14 |
$ 12.09 |
$ 25,140 |
| Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area |
2,440 |
12.85 |
1.52 |
$ 12.42 |
$ 25,830 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Cooks, Restaurant:
| Nonmetropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area |
2,860 |
24.46 |
2.89 |
$ 17.51 |
$ 36,430 |
| South Florida nonmetropolitan area |
1,590 |
20.98 |
2.48 |
$ 15.44 |
$ 32,100 |
| Mountain North Carolina nonmetropolitan area |
2,400 |
19.13 |
2.26 |
$ 13.31 |
$ 27,690 |
| Coast Oregon nonmetropolitan area |
2,040 |
18.53 |
2.19 |
$ 15.70 |
$ 32,660 |
| Southwest Missouri nonmetropolitan area |
1,220 |
17.28 |
2.04 |
$ 13.08 |
$ 27,200 |
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Cooks, Restaurant:
About May 2021 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 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.
(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 OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
