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Cooks, Restaurant vs Cooks, Institution & Cafeteria

Median pay is about the same for both. Both usually start with the same education: no formal credential.

marks the higher pay or growth. Education, difficulty and the AI rows depend on what you want, so they are not marked.

Cooks, Restaurant compared with Cooks, Institution & Cafeteria: pay, outlook, entry and AI exposure
MeasureCooks, RestaurantCooks, Institution & Cafeteria
Pay
Median pay$37,390$37,450, higher
Entry pay 25th percentile$34,010, higher$32,440
Experienced pay 75th percentile$44,620$44,800, higher
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Projected growth+12% Growing fast, higher+2.8% Growing
Openings a year218,60062,900
Getting in
Typical educationNo formal credentialNo formal credential
Difficulty modeled2 / 51.6 / 5
AI
Displacement risk modeledModerateLow
AI exposure modeled, percentile32nd pct3rd pct

Where the skills differ

Only Cooks, Restaurant

  • Active Learning

Only Cooks, Institution & Cafeteria

  • Mathematics

Both lean on speaking, critical thinking, monitoring, active listening, reading comprehension.

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Pay and outlook: BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills: O*NET 30.3. Difficulty, displacement risk and AI exposure are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.