Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

35-2014 Cooks, Restaurant

Occupational Description:
Prepare, season, and cook dishes such as soups, meats, vegetables, or desserts in restaurants. May order supplies, keep records and accounts, price items on menu, or plan menu.

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
First Quarter 2025

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Minnesota	26,900	1,453	$19.57/hr	$14.84/hr	$17.42/hr	$18.69/hr	$22.34/hr	$23.14/hr

Leading Industries for Cooks, Restaurant

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Manufacturing	210	$21.79/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	220	$18.13/hr
Professional and Business Services	50	$17.84/hr
Leisure and Hospitality	25,790	$18.74/hr
Other Services	600	$17.08/hr
Public Administration	10	$20.76/hr

Other Regional Data for Cooks, Restaurant

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	560	$17.93/hr	N/A
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	590	$17.61/hr	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	590	$17.93/hr	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	840	$17.68/hr	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	900	$17.85/hr	N/A
Southwest Balance of State	930	$17.40/hr	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	1,130	$18.54/hr	N/A
Southeast Balance of State	1,330	$17.49/hr	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	1,440	$17.57/hr	12.8%
Duluth MN-WI MSA	1,520	$17.69/hr	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	1,570	$17.87/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	1,720	$17.65/hr	13.7%
Northwest Balance of State	2,160	$17.62/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	2,200	$18.01/hr	12.6%
Northwest Minnesota	2,460	$17.63/hr	14.3%
Central Minnesota	2,730	$18.14/hr	13.3%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	16,310	$19.66/hr	11.1%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	18,230	$19.41/hr	N/A
Minnesota	26,900	$18.69/hr	12.1%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria	7,650	$20.62/hr	4.1%
Cooks, Short Order	1,260	$14.31/hr	6.0%
Bakers	2,910	$18.89/hr	4.0%

Task for Cooks, Restaurant

Consult with supervisory staff to plan menus, taking into consideration factors such as costs and special event needs.
Wash, peel, cut, and seed fruits and vegetables to prepare them for consumption.
Coordinate and supervise work of kitchen staff.
Ensure freshness of food and ingredients by checking for quality, keeping track of old and new items, and rotating stock.
Carve and trim meats such as beef, veal, ham, pork, and lamb for hot or cold service, or for sandwiches.
Bake breads, rolls, cakes, and pastries.
Season and cook food according to recipes or personal judgment and experience.
Turn or stir foods to ensure even cooking.
Portion, arrange, and garnish food, and serve food to waiters or patrons.
Bake, roast, broil, and steam meats, fish, vegetables, and other foods.