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, Restaurant employed | Annual Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Traveler accommodation | 5 | 1.31 |
| Drinking places (alcoholic beverages) | 3 | 2.86 |
| Other amusement and recreation industries | 2 | 0.97 |
| Special food services | 2 | 1.10 |
| 2025 Statewide median hourly wage | $16.71 |
| 2025 National median hourly wage | $17.98 |
| 2024 National employment | 1,460,200 |
| 2024 Texas employment | 124,507 |
| Texas projected employment by 2034 | 157,197 |
| Texas projected annual employment and Turnover openings through 2034 | 23,833 |
| Region | Employment | Projected Employment 2034 | Projected Annual Openings 2034 |
Annual Growth Rate |
Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas (all regions) | 124,507 | 157,197 | 23,833 | 2.36% | $34,760.00 |
| Top 10 Relevant Knowledge Areas | Relevant Importance Levels |
|---|---|
| Food Production Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques. |
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| 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. |
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| English Language Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. |
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| Production and Processing Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| Mathematics Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications. |
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| 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. |
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| Sales and Marketing Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems. |
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| 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 |
|---|---|
| Monitoring Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action. |
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| Critical Thinking Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems. |
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| Active Listening Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. |
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| Speaking Talking to others to convey information effectively. |
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| Coordination Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions. |
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| Time Management Managing one's own time and the time of others. |
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| Judgment and Decision Making Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one. |
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| Reading Comprehension Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents. |
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| Social Perceptiveness Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do. |
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| Active Learning Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making. |
| Top 10 Relevant Abilities | Relevant Importance Levels |
|---|---|
| Near Vision The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). |
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| Speech Recognition The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. |
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| 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. |
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| 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). |
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| Manual Dexterity The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects. |
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| Finger Dexterity The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects. |
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| Selective Attention The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted. |
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| Arm-Hand Steadiness The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position. |
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| 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. |
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| Perceptual Speed The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object. |