Cook Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

Job Numbers and Growth

There are an estimated 16,000 cooks nationally. Recent data shows the joblessness for workers is very high compared to other jobs. An estimated 9% of employees were not able to find a job in 2008.

Area Job Conditions

The highest density of cooks are found in Houma (Louisiana), Champaign (Illinois), and Lake Charles (Louisiana). The lowest density occurs around Atlanta (Georgia), Kansas City (Missouri), and Edison (New Jersey).

Compensation for workers is highst in Oakland (California), Nassau (New York), and Champaign (Illinois), and is the lowest in Montgomery (Alabama), Akron (Ohio), and Lake Charles (Louisiana).

Training and Education

Employers tend to prefer to hire employees that have moderate-term on-the-job training. in 5% of cases, cooks have four year degrees or better. Among workers 19% pursued some additional career education without completing a bachelor's degree. In 77% of cases, employees have only a high school education. 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

Cooks working part-time are about 30% of the total. About 1% of workers work on their own.

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