Cooks, Private Household vs Cooks, Restaurant: $48K vs $37K Median Pay

Cooks, Private Household vs Cooks, Restaurant: what changes?

Consider Cooks, Private Household if you want to prepare meals in private homes. Consider Cooks, Restaurant if you would rather prepare, season, and cook dishes such as soups, meats, vegetables, or desserts in restaurants. Entry credentials differ: Cooks, Private Household, postsecondary nondegree award; Cooks, Restaurant, no formal educational credential. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Cooks, Private Household (less than 5 years) and Cooks, Restaurant (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Cooks, Private Household and Cooks, Restaurant. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Cooks, Private Household

National median pay (2025): $47,940
Route into the job: Postsecondary nondegree award; Prior related experience: less than 5 years
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Peel, wash, trim, and cook vegetables and meats, and bake breads and pastries.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 5,000

Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Cooks, Private Household brief

Cooks, Restaurant

National median pay (2025): $37,390
Route into the job: No formal educational credential; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Ensure food is stored and cooked at correct temperature by regulating temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 218,600

Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Cooks, Restaurant brief

How the national numbers differ

Cooks, Restaurant has the edge on annual openings

Cooks, Restaurant is at 218,600 annual openings, compared with 5,000 annual openings for Cooks, Private Household.

Cooks, Private Household has the edge on median pay

Cooks, Private Household is at $47,940, compared with $37,390 for Cooks, Restaurant.

Cooks, Restaurant has the edge on projected growth

Cooks, Restaurant is at 12.1% projected growth, compared with 5.1% projected growth for Cooks, Private Household.

Typical preparation differs.

Cooks, Private Household: Postsecondary nondegree award; Prior related experience: less than 5 years Cooks, Restaurant: No formal educational credential; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

48.6/ 100

Cooks, Private Household

67.2/ 100

Cooks, Restaurant

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Cooks, Private Household vs Cooks, Restaurant

Dimension	Cooks, Private Household	Cooks, Restaurant
Median pay (2025)	$47,940	$37,390
Pay percentile	26.4 percentile	7.1 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	5.1%	12.1%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	5,000	218,600
2025 employment	35,400	1,417,500
How you qualify	Postsecondary nondegree award; Prior related experience: less than 5 years	No formal educational credential; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 3	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Cooks, Private Household brief Read Cooks, Restaurant brief

Cooks, Private Household vs Cooks, Restaurant: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Cooks, Private Household

Cooks, Restaurant

How the national numbers differ

Cooks, Restaurant has the edge on annual openings

Cooks, Private Household has the edge on median pay

Cooks, Restaurant has the edge on projected growth

Typical preparation differs.

Cooks, Private Household vs Cooks, Restaurant

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