Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

35-2015 Cooks, Short Order

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 "Fast Food Cooks" (35-2011).


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic 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)
168,320 3.0 % $10.23 $21,280 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $7.83 $8.48 $9.51 $11.42 $14.10
Annual Wage (2) $16,280 $17,640 $19,780 $23,760 $29,330


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Full-Service Restaurants 72,070 1.58 $10.15 $21,120
Limited-Service Eating Places 37,450 0.91 $9.96 $20,720
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) 16,320 4.70 $10.02 $20,830
Other Amusement and Recreation Industries 8,100 0.76 $10.03 $20,860
Special Food Services 6,700 1.17 $10.77 $22,400

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) 16,320 4.70 $10.02 $20,830
Full-Service Restaurants 72,070 1.58 $10.15 $21,120
Special Food Services 6,700 1.17 $10.77 $22,400
Limited-Service Eating Places 37,450 0.91 $9.96 $20,720
Other Amusement and Recreation Industries 8,100 0.76 $10.03 $20,860

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 340 0.01 $13.66 $28,420
Management of Companies and Enterprises (8) (8) $12.84 $26,710
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 180 0.01 $12.17 $25,310
Traveler Accommodation 5,330 0.31 $12.00 $24,960
Employment Services 510 0.02 $11.60 $24,140


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 16,380 1.17 0.89 $11.58 $24,080
Texas 15,640 1.52 1.16 $9.32 $19,390
New York 12,450 1.48 1.13 $11.86 $24,680
Georgia 9,490 2.51 1.91 $9.48 $19,720
Ohio 7,650 1.54 1.17 $9.39 $19,540




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Hampshire 2,140 3.53 2.69 $8.62 $17,930
Hawaii 1,750 3.04 2.31 $14.13 $29,390
South Dakota 1,150 2.93 2.23 $9.46 $19,670
South Carolina 4,680 2.64 2.01 $9.35 $19,450
Louisiana 4,820 2.62 2.00 $8.87 $18,440




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hawaii 1,750 3.04 2.31 $14.13 $29,390
Alaska 350 1.12 0.85 $13.62 $28,330
Nevada 2,460 2.21 1.68 $12.73 $26,490
Connecticut 1,380 0.86 0.65 $12.40 $25,800
Vermont 630 2.16 1.64 $12.22 $25,420





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 7,460 1.47 1.12 $12.45 $25,890
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 6,220 2.79 2.13 $9.96 $20,710
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 4,400 1.15 0.88 $11.40 $23,710
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 3,660 1.43 1.09 $9.89 $20,560
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 3,590 1.00 0.76 $10.73 $22,310
Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ 2,700 1.59 1.21 $11.28 $23,460
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 2,620 1.28 0.98 $8.97 $18,660
Baltimore-Towson, MD 2,330 1.86 1.42 $10.75 $22,360
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 2,280 1.36 1.04 $11.68 $24,300
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 2,260 1.83 1.40 $11.08 $23,050




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Lafayette, LA 840 5.77 4.40 $8.72 $18,140
Hattiesburg, MS 310 5.58 4.25 $8.49 $17,670
Ithaca, NY 230 4.82 3.67 $10.62 $22,090
Barnstable Town, MA 410 4.37 3.33 $11.00 $22,890
Rapid City, SD 250 4.28 3.27 $9.19 $19,120
Pine Bluff, AR 140 3.85 2.94 $8.72 $18,130
Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach-Conway, SC 410 3.77 2.87 $10.15 $21,120
Sheboygan, WI 210 3.75 2.86 $9.29 $19,330
Baton Rouge, LA 1,290 3.63 2.77 $8.57 $17,820
Iowa City, IA 280 3.35 2.55 $9.54 $19,850




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Framingham, MA NECTA Division (8) (8) (8) $15.38 $31,990
Honolulu, HI 1,360 3.19 2.43 $14.30 $29,740
Peabody, MA NECTA Division (8) (8) (8) $13.96 $29,030
Worcester, MA-CT (8) (8) (8) $13.74 $28,570
Kingston, NY (8) (8) (8) $13.63 $28,340
Pittsfield, MA (8) (8) (8) $13.59 $28,260
Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, MA-NH NECTA Division (8) (8) (8) $13.48 $28,050
Naples-Marco Island, FL 30 0.29 0.22 $13.48 $28,040
Las Vegas-Paradise, NV 1,940 2.41 1.84 $13.29 $27,640
Charlottesville, VA (8) (8) (8) $13.19 $27,440

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Georgia nonmetropolitan area 710 4.79 3.65 $8.56 $17,810
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 530 1.91 1.45 $8.91 $18,540
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 520 2.38 1.81 $9.56 $19,890
Southern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 520 3.30 2.51 $9.45 $19,660
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 490 1.30 0.99 $9.06 $18,850

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Central Montana nonmetropolitan area 200 5.42 4.13 $9.70 $20,180
Western South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 170 4.80 3.66 $10.80 $22,460
North Georgia nonmetropolitan area 710 4.79 3.65 $8.56 $17,810
Northern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 290 4.23 3.22 $8.83 $18,360
Other New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 390 3.99 3.04 $8.60 $17,880

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southeast Alaska nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $14.47 $30,090
Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 160 2.28 1.73 $13.70 $28,490
Hawaii / Maui / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 400 2.61 1.99 $13.54 $28,170
Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $12.64 $26,300
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 100 1.02 0.78 $12.52 $26,050


About May 2011 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. 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.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012