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Occupational Employment Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018

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)
1,340,810 0.7 % $13.26 $27,580 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.33 $10.80 $12.76 $15.02 $18.09
Annual Wage (2) $19,420 $22,460 $26,530 $31,240 $37,630

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 1,137,590 10.64 $13.06 $27,170
Traveler Accommodation 80,440 4.02 $15.37 $31,960
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) 28,120 7.18 $12.65 $26,320
Other Amusement and Recreation Industries 25,920 1.98 $14.22 $29,570
Special Food Services 22,580 3.15 $14.49 $30,130

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 1,137,590 10.64 $13.06 $27,170
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) 28,120 7.18 $12.65 $26,320
Traveler Accommodation 80,440 4.02 $15.37 $31,960
Special Food Services 22,580 3.15 $14.49 $30,130
Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water 430 2.67 $16.71 $34,750

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services 80 0.04 $17.27 $35,930
Technical and Trade Schools (8) (8) $16.95 $35,250
Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water 430 2.67 $16.71 $34,750
Personal Care Services 60 0.01 $15.41 $32,060
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores 230 0.14 $15.41 $32,050

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 166,420 9.78 1.06 $14.72 $30,620
Florida 110,600 12.85 1.39 $13.34 $27,740
Texas 110,440 9.12 0.98 $12.21 $25,400
New York 73,340 7.81 0.84 $14.64 $30,440
Pennsylvania 55,980 9.57 1.03 $12.74 $26,510




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)
Hawaii 10,660 16.61 1.79 $16.51 $34,330
Nevada 22,330 16.57 1.79 $15.37 $31,960
Florida 110,600 12.85 1.39 $13.34 $27,740
Colorado 32,910 12.56 1.36 $14.18 $29,490
Montana 5,690 12.28 1.33 $12.13 $25,230




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hawaii 10,660 16.61 1.79 $16.51 $34,330
District of Columbia 7,230 10.15 1.10 $16.27 $33,840
New Jersey 20,720 5.12 0.55 $15.96 $33,200
Massachusetts 29,880 8.37 0.90 $15.59 $32,430
Washington 32,510 9.97 1.08 $15.56 $32,370





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-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 64,130 6.75 0.73 $15.34 $31,910
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 61,160 10.00 1.08 $14.17 $29,480
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 37,530 8.08 0.87 $13.59 $28,260
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 32,600 9.14 0.99 $12.32 $25,630
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 32,110 12.40 1.34 $13.97 $29,060
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 27,300 9.15 0.99 $12.65 $26,310
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 26,570 10.98 1.19 $16.93 $35,210
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 26,450 8.44 0.91 $14.34 $29,820
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 24,210 9.02 0.97 $11.98 $24,920
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 23,580 8.55 0.92 $15.72 $32,700