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The differences between cooking chefs and assistant cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a cooking chef, becoming an assistant cook takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a cooking chef has an average salary of $34,973, which is higher than the $34,244 average annual salary of an assistant cook.
The top three skills for a cooking chef include food service, food handling and kitchen equipment. The most important skills for an assistant cook are food handling, kitchen equipment, and dishes.
| Cooking Chef | Assistant Cook | |
| Yearly salary | $34,973 | $34,244 |
| Hourly rate | $16.81 | $16.46 |
| Growth rate | 15% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 136,558 | 190,245 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 31% | High School Diploma, 37% |
| Average age | 42 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
Cooking chefs and assistant cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cooking Chef | Assistant Cook | |
| Average salary | $34,973 | $34,244 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $49,000 | Between $26,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Teaneck, NJ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Memphis Country Club | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a cooking chef and an assistant cook in terms of educational background:
| Cooking Chef | Assistant Cook | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 31% | High School Diploma, 37% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | Drexel University | - |
Here are the differences between cooking chefs' and assistant cooks' demographics:
| Cooking Chef | Assistant Cook | |
| Average age | 42 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.3% Female, 23.7% | Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 12.0% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 8.6% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 6% |