Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations

The Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations major group (SOC 35-0000) contains 17 distinct occupations in the BLS Standard Occupational Classification system, each measured individually by the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey in May 2025. Combined U.S. employment across this group reaches approximately 13,680,760 workers based on the OEWS totals for occupations where employment is separately reported. The arithmetic average of the reported occupation medians inside this group is $37,710, which sits between specialized senior roles and entry-level positions in the same functional area.

Pay inside this group is not uniform: it spans from $62,470 for Chefs and Head Cooks at the top of the ranking down to $30,890 for Cooks, Fast Food at the bottom - a 2.0× spread. That range reflects BLS's deliberately granular SOC taxonomy, which separates roles by required credentials, scope of responsibility, and industry context rather than lumping them into a single averaged bucket. When planning a career move inside this family, the specific SOC code you land under can matter more than the parent group label.

Use this page as a launch pad: each row below links to the occupation's full national profile with percentile bands, state and metro breakdowns, projected 10-year growth, education requirements, and, where BLS publishes them, annual job openings. Remember that OEWS employment figures represent the May 2025 reference date and that wages exclude employer-provided benefits, bonuses, overtime, and equity compensation that often add 20-40% to total real pay, especially in private-sector roles. For career planning, pair these medians with the 10th-to-90th percentile spread on each occupation's page so you understand both floor and ceiling before committing to an educational or certification pathway.