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Occupational Employment Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

35-2015 Cooks, Short Order

Prepare and cook to order a variety of foods that require only a short preparation time. May take orders from customers and serve patrons at counters or tables. Excludes “Cooks, Fast Food” (35-2011).

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)
152,670 3.2 % $12.62 $26,240 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.99 $10.16 $12.09 $14.48 $17.34
Annual Wage (2) $18,700 $21,130 $25,150 $30,120 $36,070

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 95,770 0.89 $12.35 $25,680
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) 13,600 3.42 $12.83 $26,690
Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) 10,890 0.37 $13.98 $29,080
Special Food Services 7,760 1.06 $14.17 $29,480
Other Amusement and Recreation Industries 6,610 0.49 $12.29 $25,570

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) 13,600 3.42 $12.83 $26,690
Special Food Services 7,760 1.06 $14.17 $29,480
Restaurants and Other Eating Places 95,770 0.89 $12.35 $25,680
Gasoline Stations 6,410 0.69 $11.29 $23,470
Other Amusement and Recreation Industries 6,610 0.49 $12.29 $25,570

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Furniture Stores 50 0.02 $17.15 $35,670
Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water 50 0.31 $17.14 $35,650
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 160 0.01 $16.24 $33,790
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 260 (7) $16.03 $33,350
Elementary and Secondary Schools 40 (7) $15.63 $32,500

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 19,420 1.12 1.07 $14.43 $30,010
Texas 13,640 1.10 1.06 $10.73 $22,330
New Jersey 10,320 2.52 2.43 $12.82 $26,680
New York 9,600 1.01 0.97 $14.06 $29,250
Tennessee 7,000 2.33 2.24 $11.57 $24,060




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)
South Dakota 1,550 3.64 3.50 $11.85 $24,640
New Hampshire 2,380 3.60 3.46 $12.45 $25,900
Oklahoma 4,980 3.08 2.96 $9.97 $20,740
New Jersey 10,320 2.52 2.43 $12.82 $26,680
Tennessee 7,000 2.33 2.24 $11.57 $24,060




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Washington 2,480 0.75 0.72 $16.46 $34,230
District of Columbia 570 0.79 0.76 $15.62 $32,480
Hawaii 880 1.38 1.33 $15.46 $32,150
Massachusetts 5,870 1.62 1.56 $15.10 $31,410
Alaska 470 1.48 1.42 $14.95 $31,090





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 12,780 1.32 1.27 $13.70 $28,500
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 6,990 1.12 1.08 $14.02 $29,150
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 5,410 1.93 1.86 $14.86 $30,920
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 4,070 0.87 0.84 $12.81 $26,650
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 3,620 0.99 0.95 $11.06 $23,000
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 3,110 0.98 0.94 $14.13 $29,390
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 3,040 1.43 1.38 $13.59 $28,270
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN 2,730 2.74 2.63 $11.87 $24,700
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 2,570 0.89 0.86 $12.44 $25,870
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 2,360 1.54 1.48 $13.09 $27,230




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)
Chattanooga, TN-GA 1,390 5.51 5.30 $12.02 $25,000
Johnson City, TN 400 5.11 4.91 $11.29 $23,480
Portsmouth, NH-ME 460 4.75 4.57 $14.45 $30,060
Rapid City, SD 300 4.57 4.40 $12.38 $25,750
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ 600 4.53 4.36 $13.42 $27,920
Dover-Durham, NH-ME 220 4.24 4.08 $11.91 $24,780
Niles-Benton Harbor, MI 250 4.00 3.84 $10.84 $22,540
Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL 180 3.28 3.15 $9.79 $20,370
Laredo, TX 330 3.15 3.03 $10.03 $20,870
Oklahoma City, OK 1,970 3.13 3.01 $10.48 $21,790