---

Cooks, Restaurant in Wisconsin

Thinking about a career as a Cooks, Restaurant in Wisconsin? Here’s what the data says. Prepare, season, and cook dishes such as soups, meats, vegetables, or desserts in restaurants. May order supplies, keep records and accounts, price items on menu, or plan menu.

What do Cooks, Restaurant Make in Wisconsin?

For a cooks, restaurant working in Wisconsin, wages run about $36,940 per year (or about $17.76/hour).Annual wages span from $27,980 at the 10th percentile to $47,030 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$27,980	$13.45
25th percentile	$31,200	$15.00
Median (50th)	$36,940	$17.76
75th percentile	$40,600	$19.52
90th percentile	$47,030	$22.61

The job concentration index in Wisconsin nationwide is 0.88, meaning fewer cooks, restaurant per worker than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, cooks, restaurant earn a median of $41,438 per year ($19.92/hour), lower than the Wisconsin median.

Employment Outlook

National employment for 1,741,328 cooks, restaurant across the United States. In Wisconsin alone, around 24,360 people work in this role. That’s higher than the typical state, which employs around 18,370 cooks, restaurant.

Top Wisconsin Metros for Cooks, Restaurant

These are the Wisconsin metros with the most cooks, restaurant in Wisconsin.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI	6,660	$37,540
Madison, WI	3,290	$38,400
Green Bay, WI	1,520	$37,120
Appleton, WI	1,000	$36,860
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN	900	$36,510
Eau Claire, WI	740	$36,090
Oshkosh-Neenah, WI	670	$36,860
Kenosha, WI	610	$37,570
Janesville-Beloit, WI	580	$36,090
Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI	530	$36,380
Wausau, WI	510	$36,670
Sheboygan, WI	430	$36,600
Fond du Lac, WI	310	$36,310

Top States for Cooks, Restaurant Employment

View the states that employ the most cooks, restaurant work.

State	Number Employed
California	160,270
Florida	134,480
Texas	125,880
New York	62,430
Illinois	61,630
Pennsylvania	54,830
North Carolina	50,400
Ohio	49,880
Georgia	49,320
Virginia	41,010
Michigan	37,860
Washington	34,790
Arizona	34,740
Colorado	33,920
Massachusetts	31,640
New Jersey	30,720
Missouri	28,390
Indiana	27,640
Tennessee	27,300
Minnesota	26,900

Highest-Paying States for Cooks, Restaurant

These states pay the most for cooks, restaurant.

State	Annual Median Salary
Massachusetts	$46,280
District of Columbia	$45,230
Washington	$44,980
Maine	$44,870
Hawaii	$44,710
Vermont	$44,560
California	$44,290
New York	$39,890
Colorado	$39,170
New Hampshire	$39,050

Skills

Top cooks, restaurant skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Core knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

Top abilities for cooks, restaurant, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Cooks, Restaurant typically:

• Ensure food is stored and cooked at correct temperature by regulating temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.
• Inspect and clean food preparation areas, such as equipment, work surfaces, and serving areas, to ensure safe and sanitary food-handling practices.
• Portion, arrange, and garnish food, and serve food to waiters or patrons.
• Ensure freshness of food and ingredients by checking for quality, keeping track of old and new items, and rotating stock.
• Season and cook food according to recipes or personal judgment and experience.
• Coordinate and supervise work of kitchen staff.
• Bake, roast, broil, and steam meats, fish, vegetables, and other foods.
• Weigh, measure, and mix ingredients according to recipes or personal judgment, using various kitchen utensils and equipment.
• Turn or stir foods to ensure even cooking.
• Observe and test foods to determine if they have been cooked sufficiently, using methods such as tasting, smelling, or piercing them with utensils.
• Substitute for or assist other cooks during emergencies or rush periods.
• Wash, peel, cut, and seed fruits and vegetables to prepare them for consumption.

Work Activities

• Handling and Moving Objects
• Performing General Physical Activities
• Getting Information
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
• Processing Information
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
• Training and Teaching Others
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials

Tools & Technology

Common tools and software used in this occupation include: Hot technologies: Facebook

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Several college majors map to this occupation:

• Culinary Arts

Related Careers

Careers similar to cooks, restaurant include:

• Food Service Managers
• Chefs and Head Cooks
• First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
• Cooks, Fast Food
• Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
• Cooks, Private Household

Also Known As

Back Line Cook, Back of House Team Member (BOH Team Member), Banquet Cook, Breakfast Cook, Broiler Cook, Chef De Partie, Cook, Foreign Food Specialty Cook, Fry Cook, Grill Cook, Hotel and Restaurant Cook, Larder Cook, Line Cook, Pizza Maker, Prep Cook (Preparation Cook).

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 35-2014.00