Food Preparation
Cooks, Restaurant
SOC 35-2014
Prepare and cook meals to order through a hot, fast service.
The job
Median pay
$37k
$34k to $45k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing fast
+12% projected
Openings a year
219k
BLS projection
Typical education
No formal credential
Our model
AI displacement risk
Moderate
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
12/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
32nd pct
More exposed than 32% of occupations · modeled estimate · 61st pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
52/100
Key skills
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 152,250 | 8.4 | 0.9× | $45k |
| Texas | 126,620 | 9.0 | 1.0× | $35k |
| Florida | 124,040 | 12.5 | 1.4× | $37k |
| New York | 71,530 | 7.4 | 0.8× | $44k |
| Pennsylvania | 54,100 | 8.9 | 1.0× | $37k |
| Illinois | 53,540 | 8.8 | 1.0× | $38k |
| North Carolina | 50,150 | 10.1 | 1.1× | $35k |
| Ohio | 46,910 | 8.5 | 0.9× | $36k |
| Georgia | 46,350 | 9.5 | 1.1× | $36k |
| Virginia | 40,310 | 9.8 | 1.1× | $37k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 39,100 | 8.9 | 1.0× | $37k |
| Washington | 35,140 | 9.9 | 1.1× | $47k |
| Arizona | 30,870 | 9.5 | 1.1× | $39k |
| Colorado | 30,600 | 10.6 | 1.2× | $42k |
| Massachusetts | 29,570 | 8.1 | 0.9× | $46k |
| New Jersey | 28,800 | 6.7 | 0.7× | $38k |
| Tennessee | 28,220 | 8.6 | 0.9× | $36k |
| Nevada | 27,250 | 17.6 | 1.9× | $39k |
| Indiana | 26,960 | 8.4 | 0.9× | $35k |
| Minnesota | 26,080 | 8.8 | 1.0× | $39k |
| Missouri | 25,990 | 8.9 | 1.0× | $37k |
| South Carolina | 25,890 | 11.2 | 1.2× | $36k |
| Wisconsin | 25,410 | 8.6 | 0.9× | $37k |
| Oregon | 21,550 | 11.0 | 1.2× | $43k |
| Maryland | 17,690 | 6.4 | 0.7× | $38k |
| Oklahoma | 17,050 | 10.0 | 1.1× | $32k |
| Alabama | 16,260 | 7.7 | 0.8× | $32k |
| Louisiana | 14,910 | 7.7 | 0.8× | $29k |
| Connecticut | 14,830 | 8.7 | 1.0× | $39k |
| Kentucky | 13,510 | 6.8 | 0.7× | $35k |
| Iowa | 12,270 | 7.9 | 0.9× | $36k |
| Kansas | 11,620 | 8.1 | 0.9× | $35k |
| Arkansas | 11,270 | 8.6 | 0.9× | $30k |
| Hawaii | 11,090 | 17.7 | 1.9× | $45k |
| Mississippi | 10,770 | 9.3 | 1.0× | $30k |
| Utah | 10,520 | 6.1 | 0.7× | $36k |
| Idaho | 8,130 | 9.5 | 1.1× | $36k |
| New Mexico | 7,810 | 9.0 | 1.0× | $35k |
| Washington DC | 7,720 | 11.0 | 1.2× | $46k |
| Montana | 7,580 | 14.8 | 1.6× | $38k |
| New Hampshire | 7,190 | 10.5 | 1.2× | $40k |
| Rhode Island | 6,950 | 13.9 | 1.5× | $37k |
| West Virginia | 6,450 | 9.2 | 1.0× | $30k |
| Delaware | 5,280 | 10.9 | 1.2× | $38k |
| Maine | 5,130 | 8.0 | 0.9× | $45k |
| Nebraska | 4,750 | 4.6 | 0.5× | $37k |
| North Dakota | 4,490 | 10.5 | 1.1× | $36k |
| Wyoming | 2,710 | 9.7 | 1.1× | $37k |
| Vermont | 2,360 | 7.8 | 0.9× | $45k |
| Alaska | 2,350 | 7.2 | 0.8× | $40k |
| South Dakota | 1,890 | 4.1 | 0.5× | $36k |
Top metro areas
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ69,250 jobs · $44k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA54,320 jobs · $44k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN41,690 jobs · $39k median
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL37,210 jobs · $37k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX34,430 jobs · $36k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX32,710 jobs · $35k median
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV29,670 jobs · $43k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA29,040 jobs · $37k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Cooks, Restaurant interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.