Food Service · Career brief

Cooks, Fast Food

Is it a good career to pursue?

The 30-second read

Cooks, Fast Food at a glance

Six signals to look at before you spend time on the full guide.

1Pay

$30,890

Lower national median pay

2025 national median. Bottom quarter for pay among careers on ChooseField.

2Demand

0.6%

Slow projected growth

Projected employment growth for 2025–2035. Below the middle of ChooseField careers for growth.

3Openings

86,400

Exceptional hiring volume

Average openings per year in 2025–2035, including replacement hiring. Top 10% for openings among careers on ChooseField.

4Route in

No formal credential

A four-year degree is not the typical entry route

No formal educational credential. Prior related work is not typically required.

5The work

Hands-on

Practical work with tools, systems, or physical environments

Order and take delivery of supplies.

6The catch

Know this first

What could make this a poor fit

BLS projects essentially flat employment (0.6%) through 2035. Annual openings mostly reflect replacement, not a rapidly expanding field.

ChooseField take

The standout national signal is opening volume; it ranks in the top quarter of ChooseField careers. It makes the most sense if hands-on work appeals to you and you are comfortable with entry without a formal credential. Main tradeoff: BLS projects essentially flat employment (0.6%) through 2035. Annual openings mostly reflect replacement, not a rapidly expanding field.

Before choosing, compare:Dishwashers Food Servers, Nonrestaurant Bartenders

National labor-market measures: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. Work-profile signals: O*NET. See sources and caveats.

Compare Cooks, Fast Food with another field Explore rankings in Food Service Open shareable infographic

Want the evidence behind the snapshot?

Market and path

Pay, outlook, and the route in

National median pay (2025)

$30,890

A midpoint for workers nationwide, not a starting salary.

2025–2035 outlook

0.6%employment growth86,400openings per year

Openings include replacement hiring, not only newly created jobs.

Typical entry route

No formal educational credential; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing

BLS reports the usual education, related experience, and on-the-job training, not a guaranteed minimum for every employer.

2025 employment

640,500

Estimated workers in this occupation across the United States.

Source: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections ↗ · Cooks, fast food (35-2011).

Actual responsibilities

What you would be trusted to own

Selected O*NET task statements, not a list of traits that applies to almost every career.

Order and take delivery of supplies.
Prepare specialty foods, such as pizzas, fish and chips, sandwiches, or tacos, following specific methods that usually require short preparation time.
Operate large-volume cooking equipment, such as grills, deep-fat fryers, or griddles.
Cook the exact number of items ordered by each customer, working on several different orders simultaneously.

Decision-changing realities

What could make this a poor fit

BLS projects essentially flat employment (0.6%) through 2035. Annual openings mostly reflect replacement, not a rapidly expanding field.
Errors can seriously affect people, equipment, or operations. Checking and accountability are part of the job, not optional polish.
Long periods of standing are part of the normal workday.

Work profile

What the work emphasizes

O*NET importance scores. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates3.0
Getting Information3.0
Handling and Moving Objects3.0
Performing General Physical Activities3.0
Processing Information2.9

Interest profile

Career interests

O*NET interest scores describe work someone may enjoy, not personality requirements. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Relative mix of the interest scores below, not percentages of your workday.

Realistic6.3
Conventional4.3
Enterprising3.4
Social2.4
Artistic1.9
Investigative1.4

Preparation

What the training must make you competent at

Subject matter

Transportation Communications and Media Public Safety and Security Economics and Accounting

Before choosing the major or training

Run a cheaper test first

Prepare the same item more than once under a time and cost limit, then improve consistency using another person's feedback.
Ask an early-career worker which beginner task consumes the most time, what makes new hires quit, and what school or training failed to simulate.

The fuller career guide

How the evidence fits together

Pay and demand: reading the benchmark

The pay and outlook figures describe Cooks, fast food nationally. They do not establish the salary or number of vacancies available in your area.

Median pay is the middle wage across workers, not a starting offer. Projected openings include replacements as well as growth; neither measure predicts an individual worker's job security.

Before choosing a program

O*NET lists Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking among this occupation's skills. Ask a program to show the assignments, supervised practice, and assessment that develop these skills. Compare those examples with local job descriptions.

Common questions

Questions people ask about this career

Can I enter this occupation without related work experience?

BLS does not assign a related-experience requirement to the occupation. Employers may still ask for placements, supervised practice, a portfolio, or experience with particular tools. Check entry-level vacancies separately from experienced roles.

What should I check before paying for training?

Get the full prerequisite and completion timeline, total cost, placement arrangements, and any licensing eligibility in writing. Ask local employers whether they hire graduates from the route you are considering and whether paid training is available.

Adjacent options

Compare before committing

The useful question is not whether one field wins overall, but what changes when you choose a nearby path. Explore the full career guides for Dishwashers, Food Servers, Nonrestaurant, Bartenders, Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria.