Cooks, Private Household vs First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers: $48K vs $44K Median Pay

Cooks, Private Household vs First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers: what changes?

Consider Cooks, Private Household if you want to prepare meals in private homes. Consider First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers if you would rather directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in preparing and serving food. Entry credentials differ: Cooks, Private Household, postsecondary nondegree award; First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers, high school diploma or equivalent. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Cooks, Private Household (less than 5 years) and First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Cooks, Private Household and First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers. 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

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

National median pay (2025): $44,080
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; 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: Resolve customer complaints regarding food service.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 171,500

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 First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers brief

How the national numbers differ

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers has the edge on annual openings

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers is at 171,500 annual openings, compared with 5,000 annual openings for Cooks, Private Household.

Typical preparation differs.

Cooks, Private Household: Postsecondary nondegree award; Prior related experience: less than 5 years First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Cooks, Private Household has the edge on median pay

Cooks, Private Household is at $47,940, compared with $44,080 for First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers.

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers has the edge on projected growth

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers is at 5.4% projected growth, compared with 5.1% projected growth for Cooks, Private Household.

48.6/ 100

Cooks, Private Household

64.5/ 100

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

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 First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

Dimension	Cooks, Private Household	First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
Median pay (2025)	$47,940	$44,080
Pay percentile	26.4 percentile	16.4 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	5.1%	5.4%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	5,000	171,500
2025 employment	35,400	1,236,400
How you qualify	Postsecondary nondegree award; Prior related experience: less than 5 years	High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years
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.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

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 First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers brief

Cooks, Private Household vs First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Cooks, Private Household

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

How the national numbers differ

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers has the edge on annual openings

Typical preparation differs.

Cooks, Private Household has the edge on median pay

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers has the edge on projected growth

Cooks, Private Household vs First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

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