35
Cooks, Restaurant 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, Restaurant against similar careers and make data-driven decisions.
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| soc | 35-2014 |
| title | Cooks, Restaurant |
| onet code | 35-2014.00 |
| 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. |
| job zone | 2 |
| major group | 35 |
| tot emp | 1,452,130 |
| a mean | 37,730 |
| a median | 36,830 |
| a pct10 | 28,010 |
| a pct25 | 31,310 |
| a pct75 | 43,610 |
| a pct90 | 47,340 |
| h mean | 18 |
| h median | 17 |
The day-to-day work of a cooks, restaurant typically centers on inspect and clean food preparation areas, such as equipment, work surfaces, and serving areas, to ensure safe and sanitary food-handling practices. 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 Monitoring, Coordination, and Active Listening. Across the top 6 skills, the average O*NET importance score is 3.02 out of 5 — moderately weighted for this role. Importance reflects how essential each skill is for adequate job performance.
Among working cooks, restaurant, the most common entry qualification is a High School Diploma (44.0%). 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 Massachusetts at $46,280 and lowest in West Virginia at $28,560 — a 1.6× spread. The top five states (Massachusetts, District of Columbia, Washington, Maine, Hawaii) average $45,214. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $46,280 | $45,160 | $34,910 | $57,510 | 31,640 |
| District of Columbia | $45,230 | $44,890 | $37,440 | $54,330 | 8,020 |
| Washington | $44,980 | $44,860 | $36,280 | $56,080 | 34,790 |
| Maine | $44,870 | $44,320 | $36,670 | $49,670 | 4,920 |
| Hawaii | $44,710 | $46,330 | $29,170 | $66,700 | 12,190 |
| Vermont | $44,560 | $44,140 | $32,650 | $56,460 | 2,710 |
| California | $44,290 | $44,240 | $36,430 | $54,690 | 160,270 |
| New York | $39,890 | $42,890 | $33,610 | $56,630 | 62,430 |
| Colorado | $39,170 | $41,610 | $32,120 | $49,040 | 33,920 |
| New Hampshire | $39,050 | $40,390 | $31,090 | $48,360 | 6,980 |
| Rhode Island | $38,940 | $41,470 | $30,560 | $49,010 | 6,490 |
| Alaska | $38,640 | $40,580 | $31,510 | $45,900 | 2,480 |
| Minnesota | $38,220 | $40,020 | $30,340 | $47,320 | 26,900 |
| New Jersey | $38,080 | $40,900 | $31,470 | $49,010 | 30,720 |
| Oregon | $38,040 | $40,350 | $31,940 | $48,210 | 18,970 |
| Connecticut | $38,020 | $40,190 | $32,640 | $48,040 | 13,940 |
| Arizona | $37,940 | $39,660 | $33,980 | $46,790 | 34,740 |
| Maryland | $37,470 | $39,060 | $31,310 | $47,310 | 19,260 |
| Nevada | $37,170 | $40,150 | $29,780 | $52,370 | 25,960 |
| Wisconsin | $36,940 | $37,080 | $27,980 | $47,030 | 24,360 |
| Montana | $36,830 | $38,230 | $26,540 | $50,780 | 8,170 |
| Delaware | $36,820 | $37,450 | $29,590 | $46,520 | 5,460 |
| Nebraska | $36,800 | $36,280 | $27,070 | $44,100 | 5,050 |
| Wyoming | $36,770 | $37,690 | $27,130 | $51,020 | 3,250 |
| Illinois | $36,630 | $37,840 | $29,790 | $46,440 | 61,630 |
| Virginia | $36,580 | $37,840 | $28,380 | $46,080 | 41,010 |
| Michigan | $36,560 | $36,150 | $28,790 | $44,880 | 37,860 |
| Utah | $36,510 | $37,290 | $28,320 | $46,770 | 11,630 |
| Florida | $36,300 | $36,620 | $28,570 | $44,980 | 134,480 |
| North Dakota | $36,060 | $35,530 | $27,560 | $45,500 | 4,400 |
| Tennessee | $35,810 | $35,030 | $24,150 | $44,740 | 27,300 |
| Iowa | $35,720 | $35,280 | $24,270 | $47,420 | 13,310 |
| South Carolina | $35,700 | $34,690 | $25,420 | $44,210 | 26,230 |
| Pennsylvania | $35,340 | $34,140 | $21,500 | $44,390 | 54,830 |
| Missouri | $35,320 | $35,730 | $26,980 | $45,250 | 28,390 |
| North Carolina | $35,240 | $34,820 | $27,080 | $45,190 | 50,400 |
| South Dakota | $35,150 | $35,150 | $29,800 | $43,720 | 1,880 |
| Georgia | $35,090 | $33,440 | $22,410 | $42,930 | 49,320 |
| Indiana | $35,040 | $33,670 | $26,490 | $42,620 | 27,640 |
| Idaho | $34,890 | $33,420 | $20,580 | $44,980 | 8,290 |
| Ohio | $34,750 | $33,230 | $23,900 | $42,630 | 49,880 |
| Kansas | $34,200 | $33,730 | $22,980 | $43,270 | 11,790 |
| New Mexico | $34,110 | $34,160 | $27,670 | $42,060 | 8,730 |
| Texas | $34,050 | $33,250 | $23,430 | $43,360 | 125,880 |
| Kentucky | $30,960 | $32,340 | $22,680 | $41,620 | 14,400 |
| Oklahoma | $30,610 | $33,320 | $22,790 | $48,610 | 18,760 |
| Alabama | $30,100 | $31,510 | $22,290 | $38,200 | 18,370 |
| Mississippi | $29,520 | $29,690 | $21,200 | $36,990 | 9,710 |
| Arkansas | $29,470 | $30,970 | $24,490 | $37,350 | 10,450 |
| Louisiana | $28,880 | $30,280 | $21,090 | $38,230 | 15,130 |
| West Virginia | $28,560 | $29,410 | $21,190 | $37,030 | 6,370 |
Recruiters and job boards use several alternate titles for cooks, restaurant. Knowing these variants widens your job search — listings for Appetizer Preparer or Back Line Cook frequently describe the same role. The list below is a sample of the most common industry variants.
This data helps you understand how Cooks, Restaurant 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, Restaurant
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.