SOC 35-2015 · Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations
Cooks, Short Order wages by metro
National median annual wage
$35,880
- 10th percentile
- $23,440
- 25th percentile
- $30,610
- Median
- $35,880
- 75th percentile
- $42,450
- 90th percentile
- $46,460
- Mean
- $36,120
Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.
National employment in May 2025: 138,650.
That median is 29.6% lower than the all-occupations national median of $50,980.
The metro and state figures below are the same May 2025 release. A blank wage means BLS did not publish it. See when a wage is not published.
Highest published medians
| Occupation | Employment | 10th | Median | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corvallis, OR | 50 | $29,680 | $54,020 | $59,110 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 830 | $39,550 | $50,870 | $55,660 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | Not available | $32,550 | $50,180 | $50,180 |
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | 110 | $46,390 | $48,140 | $67,790 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | 700 | $38,580 | $46,450 | $50,940 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 1,660 | $40,250 | $45,990 | $50,890 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 4,430 | $39,380 | $45,790 | $51,670 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | 190 | $31,940 | $45,690 | $53,080 |
| Vallejo, CA | 240 | $37,240 | $45,360 | $49,810 |
| Waterbury-Shelton, CT | Not available | $34,010 | $44,780 | $44,780 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 1,010 | $42,450 | $44,200 | $64,840 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 520 | $31,490 | $44,050 | $48,350 |
| Napa, CA | 150 | $38,040 | $43,930 | $50,820 |
| Amherst Town-Northampton, MA | 70 | $31,200 | $43,790 | $50,140 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 12,410 | $38,030 | $43,680 | $45,020 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | Not available | $35,300 | $42,990 | $49,260 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | Not available | $40,810 | $42,450 | $47,920 |
| Yuba City, CA | 80 | $35,360 | $42,400 | $46,560 |
| Reno, NV | Not available | $27,770 | $41,530 | $41,530 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | 290 | $30,140 | $40,860 | $45,620 |
Where employment is largest
| Occupation | Employment | 10th | Median | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 12,410 | $38,030 | $43,680 | $45,020 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 9,990 | $33,040 | $35,360 | $49,930 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 4,460 | $32,550 | $39,600 | $53,780 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 4,430 | $39,380 | $45,790 | $51,670 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 3,850 | $31,200 | $39,650 | $47,060 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 2,280 | $35,140 | $35,610 | $43,020 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 1,940 | $31,840 | $36,460 | $44,540 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 1,830 | $35,750 | $37,300 | $48,050 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 1,800 | $35,880 | $38,480 | $46,950 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 1,780 | $34,770 | $37,440 | $46,950 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 1,770 | $23,140 | $25,320 | $37,540 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 1,660 | $40,250 | $45,990 | $50,890 |
| Cleveland, OH | 1,610 | $22,260 | $22,260 | $36,080 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 1,500 | $23,440 | $25,720 | $36,320 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | 1,410 | $32,240 | $34,730 | $45,230 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 1,340 | $18,700 | $31,360 | $42,810 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 1,310 | $32,240 | $34,520 | $44,430 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 1,300 | $27,820 | $35,630 | $43,560 |
| Rochester, NY | 1,180 | $32,240 | $36,580 | $44,060 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 1,170 | $33,660 | $34,740 | $34,740 |
States and territories
| Occupation | Employment | 10th | Median | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 1,880 | $31,790 | $46,630 | $50,180 |
| Rhode Island | Not available | $31,940 | $46,250 | $47,920 |
| Massachusetts | 4,760 | $32,550 | $44,290 | $53,780 |
| Hawaii | 460 | $36,840 | $43,110 | $61,640 |
| California | 30,740 | $35,880 | $42,930 | $47,150 |
| Washington | 1,700 | $34,650 | $42,760 | $55,660 |
| Colorado | 1,900 | $32,030 | $42,450 | $64,840 |
| Connecticut | Not available | $34,610 | $42,450 | $46,040 |
| District of Columbia | 1,910 | $39,650 | $42,450 | $47,060 |
| New Jersey | 850 | $33,540 | $40,720 | $51,440 |
| Idaho | 120 | $23,130 | $40,090 | $61,190 |
| Vermont | 670 | $34,990 | $38,830 | $47,760 |
| Oregon | 1,780 | $30,090 | $38,550 | $54,870 |
| Delaware | Not available | $33,040 | $38,500 | $42,810 |
| Missouri | Not available | $29,810 | $38,490 | $46,440 |
| Utah | 320 | $21,820 | $38,010 | $49,410 |
| Alaska | 330 | $34,830 | $37,780 | $47,600 |
| Nevada | 790 | $27,040 | $37,780 | $41,530 |
| Illinois | 2,630 | $31,200 | $37,440 | $45,950 |
| New Mexico | 750 | $29,240 | $37,150 | $45,010 |
| Maryland | 3,250 | $31,840 | $36,800 | $44,540 |
| New York | 18,300 | $32,240 | $35,550 | $46,550 |
| Maine | 1,120 | $32,150 | $35,360 | $41,600 |
| Oklahoma | 760 | $25,290 | $35,130 | $36,270 |
| Michigan | 2,560 | $26,750 | $34,510 | $43,180 |
| Florida | 5,050 | $31,450 | $34,240 | $37,260 |
| Iowa | 1,160 | $24,960 | $34,090 | $46,650 |
| Montana | Not available | $29,890 | $33,240 | $36,310 |
| South Dakota | 2,000 | $27,950 | $32,380 | $46,440 |
| New Hampshire | 2,320 | $24,140 | $32,330 | $49,020 |
| Minnesota | 870 | $23,150 | $32,150 | $44,460 |
| Kentucky | 650 | $22,860 | $31,840 | $44,880 |
| North Carolina | 3,170 | $23,350 | $31,290 | $38,210 |
| Virginia | 3,350 | $25,810 | $31,200 | $42,520 |
| Nebraska | 1,810 | $28,080 | $30,530 | $41,430 |
| Arkansas | 160 | $26,000 | $30,510 | $37,140 |
| Tennessee | 2,510 | $22,880 | $30,210 | $39,240 |
| South Carolina | 900 | $22,670 | $29,640 | $34,480 |
| Ohio | 6,000 | $22,260 | $29,290 | $38,620 |
| Mississippi | 1,890 | $19,200 | $28,180 | $35,250 |
| Wisconsin | 2,270 | $22,550 | $28,130 | $39,080 |
| West Virginia | 620 | $20,120 | $27,440 | $36,210 |
| Kansas | 640 | $24,110 | $27,400 | $36,570 |
| Georgia | 3,870 | $21,430 | $26,870 | $41,010 |
| Louisiana | 1,990 | $19,690 | $26,260 | $40,530 |
| Texas | 7,540 | $21,850 | $25,320 | $36,320 |
| Guam | 40 | $22,360 | $23,080 | $28,400 |
| Puerto Rico | 1,640 | $21,840 | $22,500 | $23,350 |
| Alabama | Not available | $20,500 | $22,330 | $31,220 |
| Indiana | 2,940 | $20,760 | $21,940 | $36,260 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,510 | $17,150 | $19,910 | $40,460 |
Other food preparation and serving related occupations
- Fast Food and Counter Workers
- Waiters and Waitresses
- Cooks, Restaurant
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
- Food Preparation Workers
- Bartenders
- Cooks, Fast Food
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers
Questions this page answers
What is the national median wage for Cooks, Short Order?
In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, the national median annual wage for Cooks, Short Order is $35,880. Employment is 138,650.
How does Cooks, Short Order pay compare with all occupations?
The national median for Cooks, Short Order is 29.6% lower than the all-occupations median of $50,980.
Which metro has the highest published median for Cooks, Short Order?
Among metros with a published annual median in the May 2025 tables, Corvallis, OR is highest on this page's list at $54,020.