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Restaurant Cooks in Illinois

Restaurant Cooks in Illinois

Want to work in Illinois as a Restaurant Cook? Read this first!

17.3% Jobs Projection
$27,350 Median Salary
7,460 Job Openings

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

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

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

How Many Restaurant Cooks Work in Illinois?

There were approximately 48,660 workers employed as Restaurant Cooks in this state in 2018.

There were 48,180 Restaurant Cooks employed in this state in 2017.

That’s growth of 480 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

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

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Job Projections for Illinois

Jobs for Restaurant Cooks in this state are growing at a rate of 17.3% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 11.8%.

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Illinois Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates there will be 7,460 annual job openings, and 52,130 total jobs in 2026 for Restaurant Cooks in this state.

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

What do Restaurant Cooks Make in Illinois?

In 2018 wages for Restaurant Cooks ranged from $19,830 to $36,870 with $27,350 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $9.53 to $17.73. The median hourly rate was $13.15.

Workers in this field were paid a median of $12.05 an hour in 2017.

The hourly rate grew by $1.10.

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

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Top Illinois 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
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 37,530 $27,970
St. Louis, MO-IL 14,500 $25,230
Peoria, IL 1,720 $25,940
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL 1,500 $23,030
Springfield, IL 1,320 $24,600
Rockford, IL 1,200 $27,370
Bloomington, IL 1,160 $25,700
Champaign-Urbana, IL 890 $23,370
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL 490 $22,730
Decatur, IL 400 $21,940
Carbondale-Marion, IL 340 $26,380
Kankakee, IL 270 $25,410

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

You may also be interested in the following careers:

Occupation IL Employment Total

What Major Will Prepare You For a Restaurant Cook Career?

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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