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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018

35-2011 Cooks, Fast Food

Prepare and cook food in a fast food restaurant with a limited menu. Duties of these 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
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)
487,510 1.8 % $10.89 $22,650 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.36 $9.22 $10.74 $12.07 $14.08
Annual Wage (2) $17,390 $19,180 $22,330 $25,110 $29,290


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)
Restaurants and Other Eating Places 469,500 4.39 $10.86 $22,580
Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) 4,180 0.14 $12.08 $25,140
Gasoline Stations 3,370 0.36 $10.44 $21,710
Other Amusement and Recreation Industries 2,100 0.16 $12.06 $25,070
Special Food Services 1,480 0.21 $11.79 $24,530

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Restaurants and Other Eating Places 469,500 4.39 $10.86 $22,580
Amusement Parks and Arcades 960 0.46 $11.28 $23,470
Gasoline Stations 3,370 0.36 $10.44 $21,710
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) 1,350 0.34 $11.06 $23,000
Special Food Services 1,480 0.21 $11.79 $24,530

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Furniture Stores 110 0.05 $15.96 $33,200
Traveler Accommodation 900 0.04 $14.54 $30,250
Gambling Industries 310 0.13 $13.65 $28,400
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores (8) (8) $13.64 $28,380
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (8) (8) $12.91 $26,860


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 111,360 6.55 1.94 $12.18 $25,330
Texas 40,100 3.31 0.98 $10.09 $21,000
Illinois 18,120 3.02 0.90 $10.43 $21,690
Arizona 17,500 6.27 1.86 $11.36 $23,620
Georgia 17,370 3.95 1.17 $9.82 $20,430




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)
Mississippi 12,610 11.22 3.33 $8.78 $18,270
Idaho 7,550 10.69 3.17 $9.31 $19,360
Oklahoma 14,960 9.39 2.79 $9.32 $19,380
Nevada 9,970 7.40 2.20 $10.69 $22,230
California 111,360 6.55 1.94 $12.18 $25,330




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 2,410 3.38 1.00 $14.05 $29,220
Washington 8,080 2.48 0.74 $13.92 $28,960
Massachusetts 6,330 1.77 0.53 $13.76 $28,620
Hawaii 1,560 2.43 0.72 $13.54 $28,160
Connecticut 4,980 3.00 0.89 $13.00 $27,040





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)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 43,560 7.12 2.11 $12.29 $25,560
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 14,550 9.74 2.89 $11.83 $24,610
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 13,790 6.71 1.99 $11.39 $23,680
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 13,630 2.94 0.87 $10.48 $21,800
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 12,610 1.33 0.39 $12.07 $25,100
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 12,400 3.47 1.03 $10.30 $21,420
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 11,150 4.61 1.37 $12.47 $25,940
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 10,660 3.98 1.18 $10.06 $20,920
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 9,960 3.18 0.94 $12.04 $25,050
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV 8,640 8.76 2.60 $10.75 $22,360




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)
Merced, CA 1,030 14.22 4.22 $11.60 $24,130
Boise City, ID 4,450 13.83 4.10 $9.25 $19,240
Jackson, MS 3,570 13.60 4.04 $8.88 $18,470
Lawton, OK 550 12.68 3.77 $8.86 $18,420
Clarksville, TN-KY 1,060 12.33 3.66 $9.60 $19,970
Hanford-Corcoran, CA 510 11.82 3.51 $11.66 $24,260
Enid, OK 290 11.76 3.49 $8.80 $18,300
Coeur d'Alene, ID 710 11.47 3.40 $9.15 $19,030
Hattiesburg, MS 690 10.98 3.26 $9.12 $18,960
Oklahoma City, OK 6,490 10.51 3.12 $9.84 $20,460




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)
Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI (8) (8) (8) $15.23 $31,680
New Haven, CT (8) (8) (8) $14.83 $30,850
Longview, WA (8) (8) (8) $14.55 $30,260
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 5,150 2.59 0.77 $14.02 $29,150
Worcester, MA-CT 440 1.56 0.46 $13.99 $29,100
Olympia-Tumwater, WA (8) (8) (8) $13.98 $29,090
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 790 1.89 0.56 $13.93 $28,980
Bellingham, WA (8) (8) (8) $13.88 $28,880
Kennewick-Richland, WA 320 2.79 0.83 $13.83 $28,770
Pittsfield, MA (8) (8) (8) $13.64 $28,380

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)
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 2,350 10.10 3.00 $8.71 $18,120
Southeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 1,880 12.56 3.73 $8.70 $18,090
Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 1,770 10.45 3.10 $9.11 $18,960
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 1,460 5.66 1.68 $9.34 $19,420
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 1,400 5.15 1.53 $9.70 $20,170

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)
Southwest Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 910 12.66 3.76 $9.07 $18,860
Southeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 1,880 12.56 3.73 $8.70 $18,090
Northwest Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 1,010 10.52 3.12 $8.63 $17,950
Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 1,770 10.45 3.10 $9.11 $18,960
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 2,350 10.10 3.00 $8.71 $18,120

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)
Western Washington nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $18.85 $39,210
Southwest New York nonmetropolitan area 100 0.52 0.15 $14.45 $30,070
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $13.76 $28,630
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 290 4.82 1.43 $13.73 $28,570
Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $13.56 $28,210


About May 2018 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 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 2018 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 29, 2019