The U.S. Department of Labor has developed an automated occupational information database, O*NET, that identifies and describes work content, work skills, and training requirements for all jobs across the country in all sectors of the economy. Much of the occupational information contained in this report is derived directly from the O*NET database, and supplemented with information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau, and Labor Market and Career Information.
| Industry | % of Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria employed | Annual Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary and secondary schools | 32.4 | -0.02 |
| Special food services | 14.5 | 0.08 |
| Continuing care, assisted living facilities | 10 | 1.03 |
| Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) | 10 | -0.28 |
| General medical and surgical hospitals | 7 | 0.32 |
| Child care services | 5 | -0.61 |
| Colleges, universities, and professional schools | 2.1 | 0.32 |
| 2024 Statewide average hourly wage | $15.88 |
| 2024 National average hourly wage | $17.94 |
| 2022 National employment | 434,500 |
| 2022 Texas employment | 44,264 |
| Texas projected employment by 2032 | 50,399 |
| Texas projected annual employment and Turnover openings through 2032 | 7,701 |
| Region | Employment | Projected Employment 2032 | Projected Annual Openings 2032 |
Annual Growth Rate |
Average Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas (all regions) | 44,264 | 50,399 | 7,701 | 1.31% | $33,023.00 |
| Top 10 Relevant Knowledge Areas | Relevant Importance Levels |
|---|---|
| English Language Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. |
|
| Food Production Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques. |
|
| Customer and Personal Service Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. |
|
| Mathematics Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications. |
|
| Administration and Management Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources. |
|
| Production and Processing Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods. |
|
| Public Safety and Security Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions. |
|
| Education and Training Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects. |
|
| Computers and Electronics Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming. |
|
| Personnel and Human Resources Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems. |
| Top 10 Relevant Skill Areas | Relevant Importance Levels |
|---|---|
| Speaking Talking to others to convey information effectively. |
|
| Monitoring Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action. |
|
| Service Orientation Actively looking for ways to help people. |
|
| Operations Monitoring Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly. |
|
| Quality Control Analysis Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance. |
|
| Judgment and Decision Making Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one. |
|
| Time Management Managing one's own time and the time of others. |
|
| Management of Personnel Resources Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job. |
|
| Complex Problem Solving Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions. |
|
| Coordination Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions. |
| Top 10 Relevant Abilities | Relevant Importance Levels |
|---|---|
| Oral Expression The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. |
|
| Near Vision The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). |
|
| Speech Clarity The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you. |
|
| Oral Comprehension The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. |
|
| Information Ordering The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). |
|
| Category Flexibility The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways. |
|
| Problem Sensitivity The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem. |
|
| Deductive Reasoning The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. |
|
| Inductive Reasoning The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). |
|
| Trunk Strength The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing. |