Cooks, All Other
All cooks not listed separately.
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What the data says: Jobs are projected to grow 5.2% by 2035. Its tasks haven't been rated for what AI could do. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 8.0% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Cooks”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 10.1 hires for every 10 job openings in accommodation and food services, which employs about 46% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.10.1 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $41,740 | $38,790 to $47,130 | 550 |
| Arkansas | $30,780 | $28,340 to $47,740 | 90 |
| California | $42,860 | $38,350 to $46,030 | 3,990 |
| Colorado | $43,490 | $37,510 to $49,780 | 100 |
| Connecticut | $37,190 | $34,010 to $44,060 | 220 |
| Florida | $39,520 | $35,250 to $44,520 | 710 |
| Georgia | $42,960 | $34,030 to $42,960 | 340 |
| Hawaii | $39,870 | $36,780 to $45,760 | 100 |
| Illinois | $35,940 | $35,940 to $49,290 | not published |
| Indiana | $44,290 | $39,650 to $54,810 | 30 |
| Iowa | $26,060 | $25,180 to $34,040 | 210 |
| Louisiana | $28,930 | $26,430 to $36,580 | 430 |
| Maryland | $32,150 | $31,720 to $40,720 | 610 |
| Massachusetts | $69,570 | $65,540 to $69,580 | not published |
| Michigan | $37,110 | $34,580 to $41,750 | 300 |
| Minnesota | $36,850 | $34,430 to $45,430 | 80 |
| Mississippi | $33,410 | $28,960 to $35,360 | not published |
| Missouri | $43,990 | $34,950 to $58,240 | 70 |
| Montana | $42,640 | $34,560 to $45,930 | 200 |
| Nevada | $51,220 | $43,870 to $57,060 | 320 |
| New Jersey | $46,080 | $38,850 to $49,370 | 280 |
| New York | $43,000 | $37,730 to $48,360 | 1,090 |
| North Carolina | $31,120 | $23,100 to $36,650 | 150 |
| North Dakota | $44,190 | $43,680 to $46,260 | 60 |
| Ohio | $35,360 | $34,840 to $43,110 | 180 |
| Oregon | $42,020 | $36,550 to $44,920 | 450 |
| Pennsylvania | $36,220 | $31,880 to $41,810 | 660 |
| Tennessee | $36,440 | $29,120 to $38,950 | 2,060 |
| Texas | $32,150 | $27,470 to $36,350 | 4,650 |
| Vermont | $41,250 | $37,910 to $57,710 | 160 |
| Virginia | $35,810 | $30,340 to $57,250 | 480 |
| Washington | $52,510 | $48,970 to $53,950 | 140 |
| Wisconsin | $33,760 | $31,470 to $40,250 | 50 |
Nationally: $37,690. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for cooks, all other specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 28% less than high school
- 42% high school
- 19% some college
- 5% associate's
- 5% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Cooks” · 20,501 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Cooks”
4 programs, such as Cooking and Related Culinary Arts, General, Culinary Arts/Chef Training and Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant.
See all
- Cooking and Related Culinary Arts, General
- Culinary Arts/Chef Training
- Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant
- Culinary Science/Culinology
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/35-2019.00