CDCareer Decision

Cooks, Short Order Salary in NJ

In the 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS dataset, Cooks, Short Order in NJ have a median annual salary of $40,720, with 850 recorded jobs in this area. Recorded earnings range from $33,540 at the 10th percentile to $51,440 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

$40,720

Data year: 2025

Hourly median

$19.58

Employment

850

Source

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS

Salary distribution

$33,540
10th
$36,360
25th
$40,720
Median
$46,900
75th
$51,440
90th

Local compared with national

NJ

$40,720

Median annual · 2025

United States

$35,880

Median annual · 2025

The NJ median is 13.5% above the national median in the available dataset (a difference of $4,840).

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 NJ