Cooks, Short Order — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$35,880
United States, 2025
Employment
138,650
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 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.
- O*NET code
- 35-2015.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- None
Typical tasks
- Clean food preparation equipment, work areas, and counters or tables.
- Restock kitchen supplies, rotate food, and stamp the time and date on food in coolers.
- Complete orders from steam tables, placing food on plates and serving customers at tables or counters.
- Plan work on orders so that items served together are finished at the same time.
- Grill, cook, and fry foods such as french fries, eggs, and pancakes.
- Perform food preparation tasks, such as making sandwiches, carving meats, making soups or salads, baking breads or desserts, and brewing coffee or tea.
- Perform general cleaning activities in kitchen and dining areas.
- Take orders from customers and cook foods requiring short preparation times, according to customer requirements.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$23,440
25th percentile
$30,610
75th percentile
$42,450
90th percentile
$46,460
Most important skills
- Time Management3.1
- Reading Comprehension3.1
- Active Listening3.1
- Speaking3.0
- Service Orientation3.0
- Coordination3.0
- Monitoring2.9
- Critical Thinking2.9
- Judgment and Decision Making2.6
- Complex Problem Solving2.6
- Social Perceptiveness2.6
- Instructing2.4
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 6 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
6
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time Management | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Coordination | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Service Orientation | 3.0 | 2.8 | Not selected | 2.8 |
| Speaking | 3.0 | 2.5 | Not selected | 2.5 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.1 | 2.4 | Not selected | 2.4 |
| Active Listening | 3.1 | 2.4 | Not selected | 2.4 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median $35,730
Compare with Cooks, Short OrderSupplemental
National median $38,300
Compare with Cooks, Short OrderSupplemental
National median $33,980
Compare with Cooks, Short OrderSupplemental
National median $44,810
Compare with Cooks, Short OrderHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corvallis, OR | $54,020 | 50 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $50,870 | 830 | 2025 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $50,180 | — | 2025 |
| Kahului, HI | $48,140 | 110 | 2025 |
| AZ | $46,630 | 1,880 | 2025 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $46,450 | 700 | 2025 |
| RI | $46,250 | — | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $45,990 | 1,660 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $45,790 | 4,430 | 2025 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | $45,690 | 190 | 2025 |
| Vallejo, CA | $45,360 | 240 | 2025 |
| Waterbury, CT | $44,780 | — | 2025 |
| MA | $44,290 | 4,760 | 2025 |
| Denver, CO | $44,200 | 1,010 | 2025 |
| Providence, RI | $44,050 | 520 | 2025 |
| Napa, CA | $43,930 | 150 | 2025 |
| Amherst Town, MA | $43,790 | 70 | 2025 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $43,680 | 12,410 | 2025 |
| HI | $43,110 | 460 | 2025 |
| Oxnard, CA | $42,990 | — | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Cooks, Short Order 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.