Chefs and Head Cooks
Direct and may participate in the preparation, seasoning, and cooking of salads, soups, fish, meats, vegetables, desserts, or other foods. May plan and price menu items, order supplies, and keep records and accounts.
BLS SOC 35-1011 · O*NET-SOC 35-1011.00 · BLS 2025–2035 · O*NET 31.0
Median annual wage, 2025
$62,470
Projected change, 2025–2035
6.6%
2025–2035 annual average openings
25,200
AI exposure
Moderate
Editorial analysis
AI can invent a menu. It cannot taste dinner.
Chefs can already use AI to brainstorm dishes, adapt recipes for dietary restrictions, calculate quantities, explore ingredient combinations, estimate food costs, and develop seasonal menu ideas. For a busy kitchen, that can be useful creative and administrative support.
But cooking is unusually resistant to being reduced to instructions. An onion varies. A piece of fish is thicker than yesterday's. Humidity affects dough. A sauce needs another minute. A supplier substitutes an ingredient. Experienced cooks continually adjust using sight, smell, touch, sound, and taste.
Creativity gets easier to imitate
AI can propose an impressive-sounding dish in seconds, which means merely producing novel combinations may become less distinctive. Execution, consistency, hospitality, ingredient knowledge, kitchen leadership, and a recognizable culinary point of view become stronger differentiators.
- Menu costing and inventory decisions can become more automated.
- Recipe development can start from a much larger set of ideas.
- Computer vision and connected equipment may improve consistency in some commercial kitchens.
- Taste, sensory judgment, improvisation, and leading a kitchen remain fundamentally physical skills.
Labor-market picture
Two measures, different questions
These measures offer two different ways to understand the occupation: BLS projections show how national employment may change over time, while relative AI exposure highlights where tasks may intersect with AI-related capabilities. Read them with the work profile and your local context to decide what deserves closer investigation.
Employment
- Employment, 2025
- 220,300 jobs
- Projected employment, 2035
- 234,700 jobs
- Projected change, 2025–2035
- 14,400 jobs (6.6%)
Relative AI exposure
BLS category: Moderate. This is a relative task-exposure classification, not a forecast of employment change, automation, wages, or worker replacement.
Relative AI exposure · Moderate
Work profile
Representative tasks
These task statements come from O*NET 31.0. They are source facts, not labels assigned by the AI exposure measure.
- Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations.
- Instruct cooks or other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, or presentation of food.
- Supervise or coordinate activities of cooks or workers engaged in food preparation.
- Order or requisition food or other supplies needed to ensure efficient operation.
- Inspect supplies, equipment, or work areas to ensure conformance to established standards.
- Check the quantity and quality of received products.
Skills that matter
Skills in the source profile
Importance uses O*NET's 1–5 scale. Level uses its 0–7 scale. Select a skill to see its source definition and reported values.
Technology and tools
These technology records come from O*NET and show software or tools reported in the occupation profile. They describe work context, not a required checklist for every employer.
- Time accounting software
- Analytical or scientific software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Financial analysis software
- Electronic mail software
- Materials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software
- Web page creation and editing software
- Spreadsheet software
Preparation
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Related experience
- 5 years or more
- On-the-job training
- None
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Source provenance
Labor-market and exposure facts: bls-ep-2025-35. Work profile: onet-31.0. Verify release details on the Sources page.