Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Job outlook for cook/servers in the United States
Cook/server job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected cook/server job growth rate is 14% from 2018-2028.
About 775,300 new jobs for cook/servers are projected over the next decade.
Cook/server salaries have increased 21% for cook/servers in the last 5 years.
There are over 2,518,211 cook/servers currently employed in the United States.
There are 257,582 active cook/server job openings in the US.
The average cook/server salary is $29,716.
Are cook/server jobs in demand?
Yes, cook/server jobs are in demand. Cook/server demand is projected to grow 14% from 2018 to 2028.
Cook/server job and salary trends over time
Compare the number of cook/server jobs and the average cook/server salary over time.
Cook/server jobs over time
Cook/server job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2,518,211 | 0.75% |
| 2020 | 2,691,337 | 0.80% |
| 2019 | 3,193,825 | 0.96% |
| 2018 | 3,478,599 | 1.05% |
| 2017 | 3,375,886 | 1.02% |
Average cook/server salary over time
Cook/server salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $29,716 | $14.29 | +4.9% |
| 2025 | $28,333 | $13.62 | +5.7% |
| 2024 | $26,813 | $12.89 | +5.3% |
| 2023 | $25,463 | $12.24 | +3.8% |
| 2022 | $24,529 | $11.79 | +2.8% |
Cook/server jobs by state
The map below shows you the number of cook/server job openings in each state. The darker areas on the map show where cook/servers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Average salary: Job openings:
Most common states for cook/servers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 2,167 | 39% |
| 2 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 1,214 | 39% |
| 3 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 3,190 | 38% |
| 4 | Delaware | 961,939 | 348 | 36% |
| 5 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 1,749 | 35% |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 4,412 | 34% |
| 7 | Tennessee | 6,715,984 | 2,264 | 34% |
| 8 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 1,057 | 34% |
| 9 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 3,828 | 33% |
| 10 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 1,994 | 33% |
| 11 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,987 | 33% |
| 12 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 1,471 | 33% |
| 13 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 439 | 33% |
| 14 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 344 | 33% |
| 15 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 3,239 | 32% |
| 16 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 2,142 | 32% |
| 17 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 919 | 32% |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 1,788 | 31% |
| 19 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,707 | 31% |
| 20 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 556 | 31% |
Most common cities for cook/servers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eagle Pass | 6 | 21% | $24,258 |
| 2 | Northport | 3 | 12% | $21,204 |
| 3 | Bessemer | 3 | 11% | $21,216 |
| 4 | Florence | 4 | 10% | $21,504 |
| 5 | Dalton | 3 | 9% | $21,858 |
| 6 | Tuscaloosa | 5 | 5% | $21,204 |
| 7 | Frederick | 3 | 4% | $29,288 |
| 8 | Jackson | 3 | 4% | $23,407 |
| 9 | Birmingham | 4 | 2% | $21,238 |
| 10 | Frisco | 3 | 2% | $24,565 |
| 11 | Huntsville | 3 | 2% | $21,461 |
| 12 | San Antonio | 12 | 1% | $24,175 |
| 13 | Phoenix | 10 | 1% | $26,867 |
| 14 | Boston | 6 | 1% | $35,175 |
| 15 | Las Vegas | 5 | 1% | $26,846 |
| 16 | New Orleans | 4 | 1% | $22,358 |
| 17 | Houston | 4 | 0% | $23,990 |
| 18 | Indianapolis | 4 | 0% | $26,097 |
| 19 | Austin | 3 | 0% | $24,190 |