Cooks, Short Order Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of short order cooks to shrink 5.2% from 2025 to 2035 (about 7,200 fewer jobs), with about 17,400 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $35,880 a year ranks 786th of 825 occupations.
- Projected change
- -5.2%
- Openings a year
- 17,400
- Median pay
- $35,880
- Pay rank
- 786th of 825
Is employment of short order cooks growing or shrinking?
Shrinking: BLS projects employment of short order cooks to fall 5.2% (about 7,200 fewer jobs) from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is slower than the +4.4% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 17 food preparation and serving related occupations with a projection. That change ranks 721st of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 138,700 |
| Employment, 2035 | 131,500 |
| Projected change | -5.2% |
| Openings a year | 17,400 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 138,700 jobs here differ from the 138,650 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 17,400 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 175th most of 830 occupations. All of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force, since BLS projects no net new jobs.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for short order cooks rank?
The median of $35,880 a year ranks 786th of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the upper half of occupations on openings and the lower half on pay.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: no formal educational credential.
- Typical on-the-job training: short-term on-the-job training.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooks, Restaurant | +12.1% | 218,600 | $37,390 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | +0.6% | 86,400 | $30,890 |
| Food Preparation Workers | -3.0% | 135,700 | $35,320 |
| Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | +2.8% | 62,900 | $37,450 |
| Cooks, Private Household | +5.1% | 5,000 | $47,940 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | +5.8% | 827,400 | $31,200 |
| Chefs and Head Cooks | +6.6% | 25,200 | $62,470 |
| Dishwashers | -1.0% | 68,900 | $34,810 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.