CDCareer Decision

Cooks, Short Order Salary in IA

In the 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS dataset, Cooks, Short Order in IA have a median annual salary of $34,090, with 1,160 recorded jobs in this area. Recorded earnings range from $24,960 at the 10th percentile to $46,650 at the 90th percentile.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · Data year: 2025 · Last updated: 2026-09-22

Salary overview

Median annual salary

$34,090

Data year: 2025

Hourly median

$16.39

Employment

1,160

Source

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS

Salary distribution

$24,960
10th
$30,840
25th
$34,090
Median
$37,690
75th
$46,650
90th

Local compared with national

IA

$34,090

Median annual · 2025

United States

$35,880

Median annual · 2025

The IA median is 5.0% below the national median in the available dataset (a difference of $1,790).

Top skills

  1. 1.Reading ComprehensionImportance 3.1
  2. 2.Active ListeningImportance 3.1
  3. 3.Time ManagementImportance 3.1
  4. 4.SpeakingImportance 3.0
  5. 5.CoordinationImportance 3.0
  6. 6.Service OrientationImportance 3.0
  7. 7.Critical ThinkingImportance 2.9
  8. 8.MonitoringImportance 2.9
  9. 9.Social PerceptivenessImportance 2.6
  10. 10.Complex Problem SolvingImportance 2.6
  11. 11.Judgment and Decision MakingImportance 2.6
  12. 12.Active LearningImportance 2.4

Career information

Education and experience

Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
None
Job zone
2

Technology used

  • Aldelo Systems Aldelo for Restaurants Pro
  • Foodman Home-Delivery
  • Inventory control software
  • Plexis Software Plexis POS
  • RestaurantPlus PRO

Common 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.
  • Grill and garnish hamburgers or other meats, such as steaks and chops.
  • Order supplies and stock them on shelves.

Related careers

Occupations recorded as related in the dataset. A relationship does not imply a guaranteed transition.

Cooks, Short Order salary in other locations

Other occupations in IA