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This question is about prep cook demographics.
40.4% of prep cooks are female in the United States. This is 0.3 percentage points higher than last year. Additionally, the percentage of female prep cooks has decreased by -2.3 percentage points since 2010. That means there are a total of 652,815 female prep cooks in the U.S. and 963,065 male prep cooks in the United States. Note that Zippia's estimate accounts only for the 1,615,880 people with the specific job title of prep cook and doesn't include grouping similar job titles, or people with potentially similar credentialing.
| Year | Female Prep Cooks | Male Prep Cooks | Percentage Female Prep Cooks | Percentage Male Prep Cooks | |
| 2019 | 4,700 | 6,938 | 40.4% | 59.6% | |
| 2018 | 4,983 | 7,450 | 40.1% | 59.9% | |
| 2017 | 4,779 | 7,393 | 39.3% | 60.7% | |
| 2016 | 4,788 | 7,394 | 39.3% | 60.7% | |
| 2015 | 4,780 | 7,077 | 40.3% | 59.7% | |
| 2014 | 4,699 | 7,216 | 39.4% | 60.6% | |
| 2013 | 4,802 | 6,948 | 40.9% | 59.1% | |
| 2012 | 4,792 | 6,905 | 41.0% | 59.0% | |
| 2011 | 4,851 | 6,650 | 42.2% | 57.8% | |
| 2010 | 4,813 | 6,473 | 42.6% | 57.4% |

Additionally, female prep cooks tend to be older than male prep cooks. The average age of a female prep cook is 43.0, while the average age of a male prep cook is 35.0.
While the majority of U.S. prep cooks are male in 2022, there are still some occupations where females dominate. For example, 80% of diet clerk are female. On the other hand, some prep cook jobs are dominated by males. 79% of line cook/dishwasher, for instance, are male.
Like most jobs, there's a gender pay gap among prep cooks. The average male prep cook earns an average annual salary of $31,217, while the average female prep cook earns an average annual income of $30,180, meaning female prep cooks make 97 cents for every dollar a man earns.
Are prep cooks jobs male or female dominated?
Prep Cook jobs are male dominated. 40.4% of prep cooks are female and 59.6% of prep cooks are male in the United States.
How has the number of female prep cooks changed over time?
The number of female prep cooks has decreased by -2.3% since 2010. In 2010, there were 42.6% female prep cooks and the latest data shows that there are 40.4% female prep cooks in the U.S.

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