Cooks, Fast Food
Prepare and cook food in a fast food restaurant with a limited menu. Duties of these cooks are limited to preparation of a few basic items and normally involve operating large-volume single-purpose cooking equipment.
- O*NET-SOC code
35-2011.00 - Preparation Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$30,890
Employment, U.S.641,070
Median hourly wage$14.85
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $22,580 | $27,260 | $30,890 | $37,260 | $42,910 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 26,740 | $27,870 | 3.07 |
| Alaska | 2,250 | $33,960 | 1.68 |
| Arizona | 11,210 | $32,660 | 0.84 |
| Arkansas | 7,860 | $27,710 | 1.46 |
| California | 124,440 | $42,050 | 1.66 |
| Colorado | 9,220 | $36,900 | 0.78 |
| Connecticut | 3,630 | $34,980 | 0.52 |
| Delaware | 850 | $31,840 | 0.43 |
| District of Columbia | 2,760 | $44,670 | 0.96 |
| Florida | 22,600 | $29,900 | 0.55 |
| Georgia | 12,940 | $26,940 | 0.64 |
| Hawaii | $48,120 | ||
| Idaho | 1,610 | $31,070 | 0.45 |
| Illinois | 13,430 | $34,960 | 0.53 |
| Indiana | 6,830 | $29,870 | 0.52 |
| Iowa | 8,290 | $28,510 | 1.29 |
| Kansas | 1,610 | $28,640 | 0.27 |
| Kentucky | 21,750 | $23,500 | 2.64 |
| Louisiana | 3,000 | $24,960 | 0.38 |
| Maine | 1,470 | $36,350 | 0.56 |
| Maryland | 10,960 | $33,320 | 0.96 |
| Massachusetts | $37,870 | ||
| Michigan | 14,340 | $29,460 | 0.79 |
| Minnesota | 5,190 | $34,120 | 0.43 |
| Mississippi | 11,170 | $22,670 | 2.33 |
| Missouri | 55,780 | $29,890 | 4.61 |
| Montana | 820 | $26,770 | 0.39 |
| Nebraska | 2,900 | $30,430 | 0.69 |
| Nevada | 5,890 | $33,840 | 0.92 |
| New Hampshire | 1,330 | $38,590 | 0.47 |
| New Jersey | 3,440 | $32,220 | 0.19 |
| New Mexico | 1,800 | $30,190 | 0.50 |
| New York | 11,710 | $35,770 | 0.29 |
| North Carolina | 81,980 | $27,190 | 4.02 |
| North Dakota | 580 | $30,220 | 0.32 |
| Ohio | 12,310 | $26,870 | 0.54 |
| Oklahoma | 8,860 | $27,720 | 1.26 |
| Oregon | 4,300 | $37,880 | 0.53 |
| Pennsylvania | 9,240 | $28,810 | 0.37 |
| Rhode Island | 1,210 | $35,230 | 0.59 |
| South Carolina | 9,110 | $27,420 | 0.96 |
| South Dakota | 1,720 | $30,950 | 0.91 |
| Tennessee | 14,020 | $28,330 | 1.04 |
| Texas | 36,240 | $28,280 | 0.62 |
| Utah | 4,400 | $31,800 | 0.61 |
| Vermont | 640 | $38,230 | 0.51 |
| Virginia | 12,520 | $29,950 | 0.74 |
| Washington | 9,020 | $39,120 | 0.62 |
| West Virginia | 16,490 | $23,120 | 5.70 |
| Wisconsin | 6,900 | $28,920 | 0.57 |
| Wyoming | 890 | $28,950 | 0.77 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baristas | 1-2 | 0.963 |
| 2 | Fast Food and Counter Workers | 1-2 | 0.957 |
| 3 | Waiters and Waitresses | 1-2 | 0.949 |
| 4 | Cooks, Short Order | 1-2 | 0.949 |
| 5 | Food Servers, Nonrestaurant | 1-2 | 0.947 |
| 6 | Stockers and Order Fillers | 1-2 | 0.946 |
| 7 | Food Preparation Workers | 1-2 | 0.944 |
| 8 | Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | 1-2 | 0.944 |
| 9 | Butchers and Meat Cutters | 1-2 | 0.942 |
| 10 | Cooks, Restaurant | 1-2 | 0.939 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Cooks, Fast Food, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baristas | Speaking | 0.88 | 0.963 |
| Cooks, Short Order | Time Management | 1.12 | 0.949 |
| Bakers | Time Management | 0.88 | 0.939 |
| Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | Speaking | 0.88 | 0.937 |
| Animal Caretakers | Monitoring | 0.76 | 0.928 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Cooks, Fast Food, excluding software Cooks, Fast Food already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Compris software | 3 of 20 | 34.6x |
| MICROS Systems HSI Profits Series | 3 of 20 | 34.6x |
| NCR Advanced Checkout Solution | 3 of 20 | 34.6x |
| NCR NeighborhoodPOS | 3 of 20 | 34.6x |
| Intuit QuickBooks Point of Sale | 3 of 20 | 23.1x |
| The General Store | 3 of 20 | 23.1x |
| 7 of 20 | 2.4x | |
| Microsoft Windows | 7 of 20 | 1.3x |
| Email software | 3 of 20 | 0.5x |
| Web browser software | 4 of 20 | 0.4x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 2.38 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.00 | 2.50 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 2.88 | 2.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 2.75 | 2.38 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.25 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 2.62 | 2.12 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 2.62 | 2.12 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.25 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.00 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.00 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 1.88 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 1.88 | 1.50 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.12 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.00 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.00 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.25 | not rated |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.25 | not rated |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.25 | not rated |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Science | Essential skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Food Production | 3.79 | 2.79 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.66 | 3.27 |
| English Language | 3.30 | 2.88 |
| Production and Processing | 2.90 | 2.23 |
| Administration and Management | 2.53 | 2.24 |
| Mathematics | 2.44 | 1.61 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.37 | 1.63 |
| Transportation | 2.35 | 1.40 |
| Education and Training | 2.32 | 2.59 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.21 | 1.57 |
| Sales and Marketing | 2.08 | 1.78 |
| Communications and Media | 1.92 | 1.14 |
| Administrative | 1.84 | 1.67 |
| Computers and Electronics | 1.77 | 1.16 |
| Foreign Language | 1.74 | 0.84 |
| Mechanical | 1.71 | 0.90 |
| Law and Government | 1.69 | 0.59 |
| Psychology | 1.65 | not rated |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.62 | not rated |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.62 | 1.28 |
| Telecommunications | 1.55 | not rated |
| Chemistry | 1.54 | 0.84 |
| Physics | 1.52 | 0.67 |
| Biology | 1.49 | 0.65 |
| Engineering and Technology | 1.45 | not rated |
| Design | 1.43 | not rated |
| Building and Construction | 1.42 | not rated |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.40 | 0.62 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.33 | not rated |
| Geography | 1.28 | not rated |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.26 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.21 | not rated |
| History and Archeology | 1.20 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Comprehension | 3.38 | 3.12 |
| Near Vision | 3.25 | 3.00 |
| Information Ordering | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.00 | 2.75 |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.00 | 2.75 |
| Oral Expression | 3.00 | 2.62 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.00 | 2.62 |
| Time Sharing | 3.00 | 2.50 |
| Selective Attention | 3.00 | 2.38 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Written Comprehension | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.75 | 2.62 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 2.75 | 2.38 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 2.50 | 2.25 |
| Stamina | 2.50 | 2.00 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.38 | 2.38 |
| Finger Dexterity | 2.38 | 2.00 |
| Category Flexibility | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.25 | 1.88 |
| Control Precision | 2.25 | 1.75 |
| Far Vision | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Static Strength | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Written Expression | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Memorization | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Reaction Time | 2.12 | 1.50 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Number Facility | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.00 | 1.38 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.00 | 1.25 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 1.88 | 1.75 |
| Originality | 1.88 | 1.75 |
| Visualization | 1.88 | 1.50 |
| Explosive Strength | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 1.75 | 1.12 |
| Rate Control | 1.75 | 0.75 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 1.62 | 0.88 |
| Response Orientation | 1.62 | 0.88 |
| Depth Perception | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.38 | not rated |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.25 | not rated |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.12 | not rated |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.00 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Sound Localization | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- Aldelo Systems Aldelo for Restaurants Pro
- Foodman Home-Delivery
- Plexis Software Plexis POS
- RestaurantPlus PRO
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville, NC | 1,830 | 8.45 | $22,900 |
| Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | 1,120 | 7.49 | $22,780 |
| Fayetteville, NC | 3,890 | 7.19 | $23,430 |
| Goldsboro, NC | 1,110 | 6.66 | $22,510 |
| Beckley, WV | 1,170 | 6.61 | $22,370 |
| Burlington, NC | 1,680 | 6.01 | $27,450 |
| Cape Girardeau, MO-IL | 1,070 | 5.79 | $28,820 |
| Joplin, MO-KS | 2,030 | 5.65 | $28,600 |
| Rocky Mount, NC | 1,260 | 5.59 | $23,710 |
| Columbia, MO | 2,470 | 5.57 | $29,110 |