Cooks, Restaurant Career, Salary and Skills
Cooks, Restaurant have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $37,390 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 1,409,890. Wage data is published for 445 locations.
Occupation description
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
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
None
National salary and employment
Median annual
$37,390
Hourly median
$17.98
Employment
1,409,890
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Time Management | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Monitoring | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Speaking | 3.00 | 2.75 |
| Active Listening | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Reading Comprehension | 2.75 | 2.50 |
| Active Learning | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Coordination | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.62 | 2.38 |
| Operations Monitoring | 2.50 | 2.25 |
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Substitute for or assist other cooks during emergencies or rush periods.
Technology
- Food safety labeling systems
- Menu planning software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Word
- Point of sale POS restaurant software
- Recipe cost control software
Cooks, Restaurant salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Cooks, Restaurant Salary in CAMedian $44,880 · Employment 152,250
- Cooks, Restaurant Salary in TXMedian $34,760 · Employment 126,620
- Cooks, Restaurant Salary in FLMedian $37,020 · Employment 124,040
- Cooks, Restaurant Salary in NYMedian $43,680 · Employment 71,530
- Cooks, Restaurant Salary in New York, NYMedian $43,740 · Employment 69,250
- Cooks, Restaurant Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $44,460 · Employment 54,320
- Cooks, Restaurant Salary in PAMedian $36,580 · Employment 54,100
- Cooks, Restaurant Salary in ILMedian $37,580 · Employment 53,540
- Cooks, Restaurant Salary in NCMedian $35,400 · Employment 50,150
- Cooks, Restaurant Salary in OHMedian $35,540 · Employment 46,910
- Cooks, Restaurant Salary in GAMedian $35,940 · Employment 46,350
- Cooks, Restaurant Salary in Chicago, ILMedian $38,930 · Employment 41,690
Related careers
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving WorkersNational median $44,080
- Graders and Sorters, Agricultural ProductsNational median $35,730
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender HelpersNational median $33,980
- DishwashersNational median $34,810
- Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNational median $38,300
- BaristasNational median $31,200
- Food Service ManagersNational median $69,390
- Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and TendersNational median $44,810
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.