Professional Restaurant Cook Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

Job Numbers and Growth

A count of all the professional restaurant cooks in the US adds up to about 850,000 positions. The jobless rate for workers is rated as very high. Approximately 9% of employees were not able to obtain work in 2008.

Area Job Conditions

Professional restaurant cooks are most common (per capita) in Palm Coast (Florida), Myrtle Beach (South Carolina), and Bay City (Michigan), and least common in Dalton (Georgia), Idaho Falls (Idaho), and Trenton (New Jersey).

Bridgeport (Connecticut), Las Vegas (Nevada), and New Haven (Connecticut) offer the highest pay for this career, and Longview (Texas), Great Falls (Montana), and Albany (Georgia) offer the lowest salaries.

Training and Education

Long-term on-the-job training is suggested for those who want to pursue this career. About 5% of professional restaurant cooks have earned a degree. Those that started college, but did not earn a bachelor's degree, represent about 19% of workers. Employees with a high school education, but no college education, are about 77% of the total. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Government stats show that 30% of professional restaurant cooks are working part-time. Workers who are self-employed total about 1%.

Professional Restaurant Cooks: An Introductory Video

Professional Restaurant Cooks Around the Country

In the list below, each metro area is rated for the relative popularity of professional restaurant cooks compared to other locations (that is, jobs per population). Single or double up or down arrows indicate the relative popularity in that location. Within each state listing, metro areas are sorted by the actual number of jobs for professional restaurant cooks.

Alabama

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Birmingham	$19,000	3,510
Montgomery	$20,000	1,400
Huntsville	$20,000	1,280
Mobile	$21,000	1,020
Tuscaloosa	$21,000	650
Auburn	$18,000	500
Dothan	$18,000	480
Florence	$19,000	380
Anniston	$19,000	350
Gadsden	$20,000	290
Decatur	$19,000	260

Alaska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Anchorage	$26,000	1,090
Fairbanks	$27,000	210

Arizona

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Phoenix	$23,000	13,000
Tucson	$21,000	2,940
Flagstaff	$22,000	710
Prescott	$22,000	480
Yuma	$20,000	460
Kingman	$20,000	450

Arkansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Little Rock	$22,000	2,110
Fayetteville	$21,000	960
Fort Smith	$19,000	680
Hot Springs	$19,000	410
Jonesboro	$19,000	210
Pine Bluff	$16,000	110

California

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Santa Ana	$24,000	10,600
San Diego	$24,000	9,370
San Francisco	$27,000	8,910
Riverside	$24,000	8,610
Oakland	$25,000	5,680
San Jose	$24,000	5,160
Sacramento	$24,000	5,030
Oxnard	$24,000	2,050
Santa Rosa	$24,000	1,560
Santa Barbara	$25,000	1,550
Fresno	$22,000	1,530
Salinas	$25,000	1,340
San Luis Obispo	$25,000	1,180
Modesto	$23,000	1,000
Bakersfield	$23,000	970
Stockton	$23,000	970
Napa	$29,000	830
Vallejo	$23,000	720
Redding	$24,000	610
Santa Cruz	$26,000	560
Visalia	$22,000	510
Chico	$22,000	470
Merced	$21,000	360
El Centro	$20,000	300
Yuba City	$24,000	240
Madera	$22,000	110
Hanford	$23,000	90

Colorado

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Denver	$23,000	9,630
Colorado Springs	$22,000	2,300
Boulder	$24,000	1,580
Fort Collins	$23,000	1,470
Greeley	$21,000	730
Pueblo	$20,000	550
Grand Junction	$25,000	510

Connecticut

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Hartford	$24,000	2,740
Bridgeport	$32,000	2,030
New Haven	$30,000	1,060
Norwich	$27,000	1,020
Waterbury	$25,000	250

Delaware

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wilmington	$24,000	2,120
Dover	$23,000	390

District of Columbia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Washington	$25,000	14,590

Florida

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Orlando	$24,000	12,420
Tampa	$23,000	9,260
Miami	$24,000	7,200
Fort Lauderdale	$24,000	6,040
West Palm Beach	$26,000	5,710
Jacksonville	$22,000	5,010
Sarasota	$24,000	3,050
Cape Coral	$23,000	2,500
Naples	$27,000	2,010
Palm Bay	$23,000	1,680
Deltona	$22,000	1,510
Port St Lucie	$23,000	1,320
Lakeland	$20,000	1,300
Pensacola	$22,000	1,270
Gainesville	$20,000	1,200
Fort Walton Beach	$22,000	1,090
Tallahassee	$20,000	1,080
Ocala	$20,000	890
Panama City	$22,000	870
Sebastian	$23,000	610
Punta Gorda	$21,000	410
Palm Coast	$22,000	220

Georgia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Atlanta	$22,000	16,260
Augusta	$19,000	1,750
Savannah	$23,000	1,180
Columbus	$21,000	940
Macon	$18,000	680
Brunswick	$21,000	590
Athens	$20,000	590
Gainesville	$18,000	360
Albany	$15,000	350
Warner Robins	$19,000	330
Rome	$18,000	220
Dalton	$19,000	210
Valdosta	$19,000	170
Hinesville	$17,000	90

Hawaii

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Honolulu	$26,000	3,510

Idaho

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boise	$22,000	1,550
Coeur Dalene	$23,000	760
Pocatello	$24,000	240
Lewiston	$20,000	170
Idaho Falls	$22,000	120

Illinois

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Chicago	$23,000	19,360
Peoria	$21,000	890
Rockford	$20,000	870
Bloomington	$23,000	670
Springfield	$22,000	650
Champaign	$20,000	570
Decatur	$21,000	530
Kankakee	$20,000	260
Danville	$21,000	120

Indiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Indianapolis	$23,000	5,130
Fort Wayne	$20,000	1,460
Gary	$20,000	1,380
Evansville	$20,000	1,200
South Bend	$22,000	940
Bloomington	$20,000	660
Elkhart	$21,000	610
Lafayette	$19,000	510
Muncie	$17,000	360
Terre Haute	$19,000	350
Kokomo	$18,000	280
Anderson	$19,000	270
Michigan City	$19,000	270
Columbus	$21,000	270

Iowa

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Des Moines	$21,000	2,290
Davenport	$21,000	1,180
Iowa City	$19,000	1,090
Waterloo	$19,000	830
Cedar Rapids	$20,000	830
Dubuque	$21,000	400
Sioux City	$19,000	340
Ames	$19,000	300

Kansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wichita	$20,000	1,660
Topeka	$19,000	620
Lawrence	$20,000	470

Kentucky

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Louisville	$21,000	3,330
Lexington	$20,000	2,550
Bowling Green	$20,000	560
Owensboro	$19,000	390
Elizabethtown	$19,000	360

Louisiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New Orleans	$21,000	3,840
Baton Rouge	$21,000	1,750
Shreveport	$22,000	1,170
Lafayette	$20,000	840
Houma	$18,000	430
Lake Charles	$23,000	420
Monroe	$20,000	380
Alexandria	$21,000	300

Maine

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$26,000	1,360
Bangor	$20,000	400
Lewiston	$23,000	340

Maryland

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Baltimore	$25,000	6,340
Bethesda	$27,000	2,860
Hagerstown	$23,000	420
Cumberland	$18,000	300
Salisbury	$21,000	290

Massachusetts

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boston	$27,000	11,400
Springfield	$25,000	1,850
Worcester	$27,000	1,430
Barnstable Town	$29,000	1,370
Framingham	$26,000	920
Lowell	$26,000	610
Lawrence	$24,000	530
Haverhill	$27,000	510
New Bedford	$25,000	490
Pittsfield	$28,000	480
Brockton	$29,000	440
Taunton	$26,000	320
Leominster	$24,000	270

Michigan

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Warren	$24,000	6,080
Detroit	$24,000	5,660
Grand Rapids	$21,000	2,870
Lansing	$21,000	1,300
Flint	$24,000	1,020
Kalamazoo	$21,000	860
Ann Arbor	$24,000	800
Holland	$20,000	780
Saginaw	$20,000	610
Bay City	$18,000	520
Muskegon	$19,000	470
Jackson	$23,000	280
Monroe	$22,000	270
Niles	$22,000	230

Minnesota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Minneapolis	$24,000	13,310
Duluth	$20,000	1,100
St Cloud	$20,000	710
Rochester	$23,000	450

Mississippi

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Jackson	$19,000	1,680
Gulfport	$22,000	1,370
Hattiesburg	$19,000	340
Pascagoula	$22,000	310

Missouri

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
St Louis	$23,000	9,700
Kansas City	$22,000	7,580
Springfield	$19,000	1,630
Columbia	$20,000	790
Joplin	$18,000	530
St Joseph	$21,000	530
Jefferson City	$19,000	400

Montana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Billings	$21,000	730
Missoula	$20,000	550
Great Falls	$16,000	490

Nebraska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Omaha	$21,000	2,710
Lincoln	$21,000	1,020

Nevada

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Las Vegas	$29,000	12,320
Reno	$25,000	1,930
Carson City	$24,000	290

New Hampshire

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Nashua	$24,000	730
Manchester	$25,000	630
Portsmouth	$26,000	530
Rochester	$24,000	410

New Jersey

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Edison	$24,000	5,330
Newark	$27,000	3,720
Atlantic City	$26,000	2,510
Camden	$24,000	1,930
Trenton	$27,000	590
Ocean City	$25,000	450
Vineland	$22,000	160

New Mexico

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Albuquerque	$21,000	2,600
Santa Fe	$24,000	780
Las Cruces	$18,000	650
Farmington	$21,000	300

New York

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New York	$30,000	24,090
Nassau	$29,000	5,420
Buffalo	$24,000	2,530
Rochester	$25,000	2,080
Syracuse	$22,000	1,310
Poughkeepsie	$26,000	980
Ithaca	$23,000	500
Binghamton	$23,000	490
Utica	$26,000	440
Glens Falls	$24,000	380
Kingston	$28,000	320
Elmira	$24,000	260

North Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charlotte	$23,000	5,840
Raleigh	$22,000	3,980
Greensboro	$20,000	2,320
Asheville	$21,000	2,190
Wilmington	$22,000	1,540
Durham	$23,000	1,520
Winston Salem	$20,000	980
Fayetteville	$18,000	890
Hickory	$19,000	790
Greenville	$19,000	580
Jacksonville	$20,000	510
Burlington	$21,000	460
Rocky Mount	$18,000	380
Goldsboro	$18,000	330

North Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Fargo	$21,000	780
Bismarck	$18,000	590
Grand Forks	$20,000	360

Ohio

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Cincinnati	$22,000	7,570
Columbus	$21,000	6,970
Cleveland	$23,000	6,400
Dayton	$20,000	2,610
Toledo	$20,000	1,940
Akron	$22,000	1,620
Youngstown	$20,000	1,500
Canton	$20,000	1,050
Sandusky	$21,000	480
Lima	$19,000	420
Mansfield	$21,000	350
Springfield	$20,000	230

Oklahoma

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Oklahoma City	$19,000	4,090
Tulsa	$19,000	2,890
Lawton	$17,000	300

Oregon

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$23,000	8,590
Eugene	$23,000	950
Salem	$24,000	790
Bend	$25,000	770
Medford	$23,000	770
Corvallis	$22,000	320

Pennsylvania

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Philadelphia	$29,000	9,700
Pittsburgh	$24,000	8,480
Scranton	$20,000	1,970
Allentown	$24,000	1,770
Harrisburg	$24,000	1,570
York	$23,000	1,210
Lancaster	$21,000	990
Erie	$23,000	930
Reading	$25,000	780
State College	$22,000	500
Altoona	$20,000	440
Johnstown	$23,000	420
Williamsport	$20,000	270
Lebanon	$22,000	250

Rhode Island

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Providence	$25,000	4,090

South Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Columbia	$21,000	2,340
Charleston	$23,000	2,230
Myrtle Beach	$22,000	2,220
Greenville	$21,000	1,720
Spartanburg	$20,000	890
Anderson	$21,000	710
Florence	$18,000	380
Sumter	$18,000	150

South Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Sioux Falls	$22,000	480
Rapid City	$20,000	360

Tennessee

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Nashville	$22,000	6,150
Memphis	$23,000	4,400
Knoxville	$22,000	2,910
Chattanooga	$20,000	1,100
Kingsport	$22,000	650
Clarksville	$18,000	600
Johnson City	$20,000	590
Jackson	$20,000	330
Morristown	$16,000	230
Cleveland	$21,000	210

Texas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Houston	$19,000	18,980
Dallas	$21,000	15,030
Fort Worth	$20,000	7,410
Austin	$21,000	5,280
San Antonio	$22,000	5,240
El Paso	$17,000	1,660
Corpus Christi	$17,000	1,530
Mcallen	$17,000	1,400
Lubbock	$18,000	1,170
Beaumont	$19,000	830
College Station	$18,000	790
Waco	$17,000	780
Amarillo	$20,000	760
Killeen	$18,000	670
Tyler	$19,000	620
Brownsville	$16,000	620
Midland	$21,000	520
Longview	$17,000	480
Laredo	$19,000	420
Abilene	$19,000	400
Texarkana	$18,000	340
San Angelo	$19,000	330
Odessa	$20,000	320
Wichita Falls	$21,000	310
Sherman	$20,000	230
Victoria	$18,000	220

Utah

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Salt Lake City	$23,000	3,860
Ogden	$23,000	850
Provo	$23,000	740
St George	$23,000	420

Vermont

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Burlington	$25,000	900

Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Virginia Beach	$22,000	6,020
Richmond	$22,000	3,290
Roanoke	$22,000	1,110
Charlottesville	$22,000	1,000
Lynchburg	$20,000	470
Harrisonburg	$21,000	440
Winchester	$22,000	410
Blacksburg	$20,000	410
Danville	$22,000	240

Washington

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Seattle	$26,000	11,500
Tacoma	$25,000	2,180
Spokane	$23,000	1,600
Bellingham	$24,000	910
Bremerton	$23,000	850
Olympia	$26,000	810
Mount Vernon	$25,000	550
Yakima	$23,000	540
Kennewick	$23,000	490
Wenatchee	$23,000	420
Longview	$22,000	310

West Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Huntington	$18,000	960
Charleston	$18,000	750
Wheeling	$19,000	530
Parkersburg	$18,000	460
Morgantown	$19,000	450
Weirton	$18,000	340

Wisconsin

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Milwaukee	$22,000	4,380
Madison	$23,000	2,040
Green Bay	$21,000	1,030
Appleton	$20,000	850
Oshkosh	$20,000	440
La Crosse	$22,000	430
Janesville	$20,000	360
Eau Claire	$20,000	340
Wausau	$24,000	270
Sheboygan	$22,000	240
Fond	$21,000	150

Wyoming

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Cheyenne	$21,000	340
Casper	$22,000	310

Our professional restaurant cook career and school information is provided by CTI Career Search.