Occupation salary profile

Cooks, Restaurant

SOC 35-2014 BLS OEWS May 2025

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.

National median · BLS
$37,390
▲ +1.52% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$38,730
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
1,409,890
Jobs (BLS)
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Pay range for Cooks, Restaurant

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay$28,700
25th$34,010
Median (50th)$37,390
75th$44,620
90th — top pay$47,900

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Cooks, Restaurant

BLS projects employment of cooks, restaurant to grow 12.1% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 218,600 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
1,417,500 → 1,588,800
+171,400 jobs
Projected change
+12.1%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
218,600
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
No formal educational credential
Plus less than 5 years experience
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need no formal education →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Cooks, Restaurant

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Critical Thinking3.0
  • Monitoring3.0
  • Speaking3.0
  • Time Management3.0
  • Active Listening2.9
  • Active Learning2.8
  • Reading Comprehension2.8
  • Coordination2.6
  • Judgment and Decision Making2.6
  • Operations Monitoring2.5
Top knowledge areas
  • Food Production3.4
  • English Language3.1
  • Customer and Personal Service2.6
  • Production and Processing2.3
  • Education and Training2.2
  • Mathematics2.1
  • Administration and Management2.1
  • Sales and Marketing1.9
Software and technology used
FacebookMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft WordFood safety labeling systemsMenu planning softwarePoint of sale POS restaurant softwareRecipe cost control software

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What cooks, restaurant do

  • Ensure food is stored and cooked at correct temperature by regulating temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.
  • Inspect and clean food preparation areas, such as equipment, work surfaces, and serving areas, to ensure safe and sanitary food-handling practices.
  • Portion, arrange, and garnish food, and serve food to waiters or patrons.
  • 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.
Also called
Banquet CookGrill CookLine CookPrep Cook (Preparation Cook)Back Line CookBreakfast CookCookFry CookPrep Person (Preparation Person)Saucier
More job titles for this occupation (11)
Broiler CookForeign Food Specialty CookHotel CookLarder CookProduction CookRailroad CookRestaurant CookSpecialty CookSpecialty Foods CookStation CookVegetable Cook

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.