Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2004

35-2011 Cooks, Fast Food

Prepare and cook food in a fast food restaurant with a limited menu. Duties of the cooks are limited to preparation of a few basic items and normally involve operating large-volume single-purpose cooking equipment.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
652,500 1.7 % $7.33 $15,250 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $5.68 $6.20 $7.07 $8.22 $9.63
Annual Wage (2) $11,810 $12,900 $14,700 $17,110 $20,020

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Limited-service eating places 525,080 $7.21 $15,000
Full-service restaurants 80,680 $7.69 $15,990
Gasoline stations 11,430 $7.25 $15,090
Special food services 7,370 $8.28 $17,220
Grocery stores 5,530 $8.92 $18,560

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Bakeries and tortilla manufacturing 70 $11.83 $24,600
General medical and surgical hospitals 60 $10.54 $21,930
Traveler accommodation 2,120 $10.37 $21,560
Department stores 190 $9.27 $19,270
Other food manufacturing 70 $9.10 $18,930

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Montana 5,130 $6.34 $13,190 1.273%
Mississippi 13,350 $6.42 $13,340 1.219%
Nevada 11,220 $7.06 $14,690 1.005%
Louisiana 17,450 $6.56 $13,650 0.938%
Oklahoma 12,780 $6.59 $13,710 0.899%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Massachusetts 7,870 $10.20 $21,210 0.252%
Connecticut 4,800 $9.67 $20,100 0.294%
New Hampshire 2,270 $9.00 $18,720 0.370%
Washington 8,850 $8.93 $18,570 0.343%
New Jersey 14,600 $8.45 $17,580 0.376%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Pine Bluff, AR MSA 660 $6.28 $13,060 1.883%
Lawton, OK MSA 710 $6.00 $12,480 1.859%
Hattiesburg, MS MSA 730 $6.21 $12,930 1.483%
Clarksville-Hopkinsville, TN-KY MSA 1,000 $6.28 $13,060 1.451%
Myrtle Beach, SC MSA 1,540 $6.92 $14,400 1.450%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Worcester, MA-CT PMSA 950 $12.29 $25,560 0.415%
Barnstable-Yarmouth, MA MSA 200 $11.99 $24,940 0.298%
Stamford-Norwalk, CT PMSA 580 $11.92 $24,800 0.291%
Danbury, CT PMSA 210 $11.03 $22,950 0.230%
Boston, MA-NH PMSA 3,560 $10.54 $21,920 0.187%

About May 2004 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

All Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations

May 2004 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2004 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: June 02, 2005