Restaurant Cooks in Alabama

Is Alabama a good place for you to work as a Restaurant Cook?

You’re in luck! Jobs for Restaurant Cooks in Alabama are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

• Projected employment for Restaurant Cooks in Alabama is growing faster than average.

• Restaurant Cooks in Alabama earn lower salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

What Major Will Prepare You For a Restaurant Cook Career?

• Personal & Culinary Services
• Culinary Arts
• General Cooking & Related Culinary Arts
• Culinary Arts/Chef Training

How Many Restaurant Cooks Work in Alabama?

There were approximately 14,930 workers employed as Restaurant Cooks in this state in 2018.

There were 15,420 Restaurant Cooks employed in this state in 2017.

That’s a decline of 490 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

The typical state has 17,110 Restaurant Cooks working in it, which means Alabama has fewer Restaurant Cooks than average.

Job Projections for Alabama

Jobs for Restaurant Cooks in this state are growing at a rate of 13.5% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 11.8%.

Alabama Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates 2,540 annual job openings, and a total of 17,870 jobs for Alabama Restaurant Cooks in 2026.

Nationwide, the prediction is 195,300 annual jobs and 1,377,200 total jobs in 2026.

What do Restaurant Cooks Make in Alabama?

In 2018 wages for Restaurant Cooks ranged from $17,300 to $31,820 with $23,580 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $8.32 to $15.3. The median hourly rate was $11.34.

In 2017 the median pay for this field was $10.57 an hour.

The hourly rate grew by $0.77.

The median salary in Alabama is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top Alabama Metros for Restaurant Cooks

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Restaurant Cooks.

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Birmingham-Hoover, AL	3,830	$25,850
Huntsville, AL	1,380	$24,030
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL	1,220	$28,380
Mobile, AL	1,170	$23,110
Montgomery, AL	1,170	$24,480
Tuscaloosa, AL	1,060	$19,190
Columbus, GA-AL	980	$22,400
Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL	650	$21,340
Auburn-Opelika, AL	620	$22,650
Decatur, AL	600	$19,100
Dothan, AL	530	$23,590
Gadsden, AL	310	$22,720
Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville, AL	280	$20,760

Top States for Restaurant Cooks Employment

The table below shows the states where most Restaurant Cooks work.

State	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
California	166,420	$29,130
Florida	110,600	$26,960
Texas	110,440	$24,980
New York	73,340	$28,100
Pennsylvania	55,980	$25,290
Illinois	48,660	$27,350
North Carolina	47,350	$23,630
Georgia	37,770	$23,430
Ohio	37,220	$24,730
Michigan	37,160	$24,120
Virginia	33,380	$24,930
Colorado	32,910	$28,460
Washington	32,510	$31,950
Massachusetts	29,880	$30,720
Missouri	28,990	$24,150
Minnesota	28,480	$28,810
Indiana	27,890	$23,350
Arizona	25,570	$26,950
Wisconsin	24,540	$25,150
South Carolina	24,430	$22,840

Below are the states where Restaurant Cooks get paid the most:

State	Annual Median Salary
District of Columbia	$32,580
Washington	$31,950
New Jersey	$30,870
Hawaii	$30,830
Massachusetts	$30,720
Vermont	$30,620
Rhode Island	$30,130
Nevada	$30,060
Alaska	$29,270
Connecticut	$29,170

Related Careers in Alabama

You may also be interested in the following careers:

Occupation	Alabama Employment Total
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria	11,080
Cooks, Fast Food	6,160
Cooks, Short Order	2,520

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• Image Credit: By U.S. Army Europe Images under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.