35
Cooks, Fast Food is a notable career in the 35 category. This page provides verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0 (2024), helping you compare Cooks, Fast Food against similar careers and make data-driven decisions.
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| soc | 35-2011 |
| title | Cooks, Fast Food |
| onet code | 35-2011.00 |
| description | Prepare and cook food in a fast food restaurant with a limited menu. Duties of these cooks are limited to preparation of a few basic items and normally involve operating large-volume single-purpose cooking equipment. |
| job zone | 1 |
| major group | 35 |
| tot emp | 668,230 |
| a mean | 31,140 |
| a median | 30,160 |
| a pct10 | 22,370 |
| a pct25 | 26,540 |
| a pct75 | 35,710 |
| a pct90 | 38,980 |
| h mean | 14 |
| h median | 14 |
The day-to-day work of a cooks, fast food typically centers on order and take delivery of supplies. Every task listed below is classified as Core in O*NET — they collectively define the role. Task descriptions below are quoted from the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET 29.0 occupation profile.
Workers in this occupation rely most on Active Listening, Service Orientation. Across the top 2 skills, the average O*NET importance score is 3.00 out of 5 — moderately weighted for this role. Importance reflects how essential each skill is for adequate job performance.
Among working cooks, fast food, the most common entry qualification is a High School Diploma (58.0%). Bachelor's-degree-or-higher credentials are reported by 0% of incumbents. Most workers enter without a four-year degree, making this a relatively accessible career path.
Median annual pay is highest in Hawaii at $40,300 and lowest in Louisiana at $21,940 — a 1.8× spread. The top five states (Hawaii, District of Columbia, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont) average $38,004. Figures reflect BLS OEWS May 2024 state-level wage estimates; percentiles shown are for full-time wage-earners in each state.
| State | Median | Mean | 10th % | 90th % | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $40,300 | $39,920 | $29,120 | $48,500 | 830 |
| District of Columbia | $38,350 | $41,520 | $36,640 | $49,990 | 2,610 |
| New Hampshire | $37,220 | $37,960 | $30,730 | $45,640 | 2,280 |
| Massachusetts | $37,100 | $38,190 | $34,110 | $44,590 | 5,140 |
| Vermont | $37,050 | $35,760 | $31,290 | $38,620 | 1,060 |
| Oregon | $37,020 | $39,230 | $30,570 | $58,240 | 4,360 |
| Washington | $36,800 | $39,500 | $33,970 | $44,550 | 8,630 |
| California | $36,410 | $38,420 | $34,390 | $45,270 | 136,550 |
| Alaska | $35,820 | $33,230 | $28,150 | $37,020 | 2,930 |
| Maine | $35,780 | $36,400 | $30,270 | $45,050 | 1,970 |
| Rhode Island | $35,600 | $34,680 | $31,320 | $36,650 | — |
| Colorado | $35,140 | $36,610 | $30,690 | $43,200 | 9,560 |
| New York | $34,160 | $34,690 | $31,200 | $38,690 | 21,210 |
| New Jersey | $33,930 | $34,740 | $31,470 | $40,470 | 5,360 |
| Connecticut | $33,760 | $35,820 | $32,640 | $43,020 | 3,950 |
| Nevada | $32,690 | $34,070 | $22,870 | $43,740 | 6,610 |
| Wyoming | $32,190 | $33,040 | $30,050 | $35,190 | 440 |
| Maryland | $31,770 | $33,710 | $31,200 | $38,010 | 9,550 |
| Illinois | $31,580 | $32,560 | $29,120 | $38,970 | 16,320 |
| Arizona | $31,090 | $32,340 | $29,850 | $35,970 | 11,220 |
| Minnesota | $30,810 | $31,990 | $23,880 | $38,730 | 7,400 |
| South Dakota | $30,640 | $31,520 | $28,660 | $36,530 | 1,210 |
| Utah | $29,960 | $30,590 | $24,400 | $35,470 | 6,250 |
| Missouri | $29,450 | $30,070 | $26,980 | $35,420 | 52,590 |
| North Dakota | $29,350 | $31,140 | $22,730 | $43,360 | 840 |
| Michigan | $29,340 | $29,340 | $23,440 | $35,620 | 11,470 |
| Nebraska | $29,210 | $29,770 | $24,960 | $34,300 | 2,000 |
| Delaware | $28,950 | $30,240 | $27,560 | $34,960 | 790 |
| Florida | $28,940 | $30,790 | $26,380 | $37,690 | 19,510 |
| New Mexico | $28,830 | $29,900 | $27,350 | $34,820 | 2,600 |
| Iowa | $28,770 | $29,200 | $21,640 | $36,760 | 5,900 |
| Virginia | $28,660 | $30,260 | $26,250 | $36,670 | 17,430 |
| Indiana | $28,610 | $28,910 | $21,920 | $37,460 | 5,840 |
| Wisconsin | $28,400 | $27,820 | $20,870 | $34,130 | 9,420 |
| Kansas | $28,100 | $28,140 | $21,940 | $36,520 | 2,150 |
| Tennessee | $28,010 | $29,120 | $20,900 | $37,580 | 16,690 |
| Oklahoma | $27,500 | $26,910 | $20,640 | $33,640 | 9,760 |
| Pennsylvania | $27,440 | $28,390 | $21,930 | $37,830 | 12,420 |
| North Carolina | $26,750 | $26,410 | $21,920 | $30,740 | 89,140 |
| Alabama | $26,690 | $26,340 | $21,830 | $32,670 | 25,580 |
| Ohio | $26,520 | $27,630 | $21,740 | $34,070 | 12,610 |
| Georgia | $26,470 | $27,750 | $22,030 | $34,320 | 6,040 |
| Montana | $26,260 | $28,930 | $21,420 | $39,490 | 1,310 |
| Idaho | $26,130 | $26,750 | $17,870 | $35,160 | 2,090 |
| Arkansas | $24,700 | $25,980 | $22,880 | $30,040 | 5,980 |
| Texas | $24,390 | $26,170 | $20,150 | $35,160 | 31,120 |
| South Carolina | $23,930 | $25,910 | $20,560 | $33,390 | 10,120 |
| Kentucky | $23,420 | $25,090 | $20,660 | $31,420 | 20,250 |
| West Virginia | $22,800 | $24,330 | $21,340 | $28,270 | 15,590 |
| Mississippi | $22,250 | $23,230 | $18,350 | $28,290 | 10,520 |
| Louisiana | $21,940 | $21,890 | $18,050 | $24,350 | 2,120 |
Recruiters and job boards use several alternate titles for cooks, fast food. Knowing these variants widens your job search — listings for Cook or Deep Fat Fryer Operator frequently describe the same role. The list below is a sample of the most common industry variants.
This data helps you understand how Cooks, Fast Food compares to others in the 35 category. Use it to make informed decisions based on verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0.
careers with the closest data values to Cooks, Fast Food
The CertifyWize editorial team aggregates and verifies careers data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0. Every statistic on this site is cross-referenced against the official source before publication, with quarterly re-verification cycles.
Read our full methodology or contact us with corrections.
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