Cooks, Restaurant — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$37,390
United States, 2025
Employment
1,409,890
United States, 2025
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
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.
- O*NET code
- 35-2014.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- None
Typical tasks
- Substitute for or assist other cooks during emergencies or rush periods.
- Ensure freshness of food and ingredients by checking for quality, keeping track of old and new items, and rotating stock.
- Season and cook food according to recipes or personal judgment and experience.
- Coordinate and supervise work of kitchen staff.
- Bake, roast, broil, and steam meats, fish, vegetables, and other foods.
- Weigh, measure, and mix ingredients according to recipes or personal judgment, using various kitchen utensils and equipment.
- Turn or stir foods to ensure even cooking.
- Observe and test foods to determine if they have been cooked sufficiently, using methods such as tasting, smelling, or piercing them with utensils.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$28,700
25th percentile
$34,010
75th percentile
$44,620
90th percentile
$47,900
Most important skills
- Speaking3.0
- Time Management3.0
- Monitoring3.0
- Critical Thinking3.0
- Active Listening2.9
- Reading Comprehension2.8
- Active Learning2.8
- Coordination2.6
- Judgment and Decision Making2.6
- Operations Monitoring2.5
- Social Perceptiveness2.5
- Quality Control Analysis2.4
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 4 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
4
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Time Management | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Speaking | 3.0 | 2.8 | Not selected | 2.8 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median $44,080
Compare with Cooks, RestaurantSupplemental
National median $35,730
Compare with Cooks, RestaurantSupplemental
National median $33,980
Compare with Cooks, RestaurantSupplemental
National median $38,300
Compare with Cooks, RestaurantSupplemental
National median $44,810
Compare with Cooks, RestaurantHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kahului, HI | $49,560 | 1,770 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $47,730 | 20,850 | 2025 |
| Napa, CA | $47,320 | 1,270 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $47,170 | 8,900 | 2025 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | $46,930 | 1,760 | 2025 |
| WA | $46,800 | 35,140 | 2025 |
| Portland, ME | $46,560 | 2,730 | 2025 |
| Bremerton, WA | $46,460 | 1,090 | 2025 |
| Mount Vernon, WA | $46,450 | 590 | 2025 |
| San Diego, CA | $46,440 | 15,670 | 2025 |
| DC | $46,130 | 7,720 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $46,030 | 20,540 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $45,830 | 22,900 | 2025 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $45,720 | 2,340 | 2025 |
| MA | $45,600 | 29,570 | 2025 |
| HI | $45,420 | 11,090 | 2025 |
| Burlington, VT | $45,390 | 950 | 2025 |
| VT | $45,390 | 2,360 | 2025 |
| Bellingham, WA | $45,370 | 1,090 | 2025 |
| ME | $45,290 | 5,130 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Cooks, Restaurant to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.