SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Prepare and cook to order a variety of foods that require only a short preparation time. May take orders from customers and serve patrons at counters or tables. Excludes “Cooks, Fast Food” (35-2011).
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 35-2015.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $23,440 | $1,953 | $451 | $11.27 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $30,610 | $2,551 | $589 | $14.71 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $35,880 | $2,990 | $690 | $17.25 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $42,450 | $3,538 | $816 | $20.41 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $46,460 | $3,872 | $893 | $22.34 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Cooks, Short Order is $35,880, which is 30% lower. Among the 17 occupations of the field Food Preparation and Serving Related, it ranks number 7 by median pay. With 138,650 jobs, it makes up about 8.9 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Cooks, Short Order pay by state
The highest median pay was in Arizona ($46,630), Rhode Island ($46,250) and Massachusetts ($44,290). The lowest was in Pennsylvania ($19,910), Indiana ($21,940) and Alabama ($22,330). The most jobs were in California (30,740), New York (18,300) and Texas (7,540). The occupation is most concentrated in South Dakota, where its share of all jobs is 4.9 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 1,880 | $46,630 | $43,360 | $22.42 |
| Rhode Island | not published | $46,250 | $43,410 | $22.24 |
| Massachusetts | 4,760 | $44,290 | $42,700 | $21.29 |
| Hawaii | 460 | $43,110 | $44,930 | $20.73 |
| California | 30,740 | $42,930 | $42,260 | $20.64 |
| Washington | 1,700 | $42,760 | $43,990 | $20.56 |
| Colorado | 1,900 | $42,450 | $44,170 | $20.41 |
| Connecticut | not published | $42,450 | $42,250 | $20.41 |
| District of Columbia | 1,910 | $42,450 | $42,780 | $20.41 |
| New Jersey | 850 | $40,720 | $41,380 | $19.58 |
| Idaho | 120 | $40,090 | $39,740 | $19.28 |
| Vermont | 670 | $38,830 | $41,030 | $18.67 |
| Oregon | 1,780 | $38,550 | $39,790 | $18.54 |
| Delaware | not published | $38,500 | $38,960 | $18.51 |
| Missouri | not published | $38,490 | $37,390 | $18.50 |
| Utah | 320 | $38,010 | $37,990 | $18.27 |
| Alaska | 330 | $37,780 | $40,570 | $18.16 |
| Nevada | 790 | $37,780 | $35,100 | $18.16 |
| Illinois | 2,630 | $37,440 | $37,640 | $18.00 |
| New Mexico | 750 | $37,150 | $36,560 | $17.86 |
| Maryland | 3,250 | $36,800 | $38,290 | $17.69 |
| New York | 18,300 | $35,550 | $38,320 | $17.09 |
| Maine | 1,120 | $35,360 | $36,730 | $17.00 |
| Oklahoma | 760 | $35,130 | $32,860 | $16.89 |
| Michigan | 2,560 | $34,510 | $34,620 | $16.59 |
| Florida | 5,050 | $34,240 | $34,570 | $16.46 |
| Iowa | 1,160 | $34,090 | $34,960 | $16.39 |
| Montana | not published | $33,240 | $33,420 | $15.98 |
| South Dakota | 2,000 | $32,380 | $34,180 | $15.57 |
| New Hampshire | 2,320 | $32,330 | $33,740 | $15.54 |
| Minnesota | 870 | $32,150 | $33,030 | $15.46 |
| Kentucky | 650 | $31,840 | $33,160 | $15.31 |
| North Carolina | 3,170 | $31,290 | $31,680 | $15.04 |
| Virginia | 3,350 | $31,200 | $32,600 | $15.00 |
| Nebraska | 1,810 | $30,530 | $33,080 | $14.68 |
| Arkansas | 160 | $30,510 | $31,560 | $14.67 |
| Tennessee | 2,510 | $30,210 | $31,620 | $14.52 |
| South Carolina | 900 | $29,640 | $29,340 | $14.25 |
| Ohio | 6,000 | $29,290 | $30,280 | $14.08 |
| Mississippi | 1,890 | $28,180 | $27,140 | $13.55 |
| Wisconsin | 2,270 | $28,130 | $30,050 | $13.52 |
| West Virginia | 620 | $27,440 | $28,120 | $13.19 |
| Kansas | 640 | $27,400 | $29,600 | $13.17 |
| Georgia | 3,870 | $26,870 | $29,370 | $12.92 |
| Louisiana | 1,990 | $26,260 | $29,110 | $12.63 |
| Texas | 7,540 | $25,320 | $27,610 | $12.18 |
| Guam | 40 | $23,080 | $24,920 | $11.10 |
| Puerto Rico | 1,640 | $22,500 | $22,540 | $10.82 |
| Alabama | not published | $22,330 | $24,860 | $10.74 |
| Indiana | 2,940 | $21,940 | $26,850 | $10.55 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,510 | $19,910 | $25,130 | $9.57 |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Cooks, All Other$37,690 a year
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria$37,450 a year
- Cooks, Restaurant$37,390 a year
- Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other$35,840 a year
- Food Servers, Nonrestaurant$35,360 a year
- Food Preparation Workers$35,320 a year
Common questions
How much do Cooks, Short Order earn in the United States?
The median pay was $35,880 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $23,440 and the highest-paid 10% more than $46,460.
How many people work as Cooks, Short Order?
About 138,650 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.