All careers › Cooks, Fast Food
Pizza cook: pay, job outlook and how to become one
- $22,580lowest 10% earn less
- $27,26025th percentile
- $30,890median
- $37,26075th percentile
- $42,910top 10% earn more
A pizza cook falls under the BLS category Cooks, Fast Food, which had a median pay of $30,890 a year[1]. The category is projected to rise 0.6% between 2025 and 2035, slower than the 3.5% for all occupations[2][3].
- Job growth, 2025–35
- +0.6%[2]
- Openings per year
- 86,400[6]
- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential[7]
How much do pizza cooks make?
The median pay for Cooks, Fast Food was $30,890 a year, or $14.85 an hour[1]. Half of the workers made more than that and half made less[1]. The average was $32,390 a year, or $15.57 an hour[8]. For all occupations, the median was $50,980 a year[5].
The range looks like this:
| Point in the range | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest-paid 10% earned less than[4][9] | $22,580 | $10.86 |
| Lowest-paid 25% earned less than[4][9] | $27,260 | $13.11 |
| Median[1] | $30,890 | $14.85 |
| Highest-paid 25% earned more than[4][9] | $37,260 | $17.92 |
| Highest-paid 10% earned more than[4][9] | $42,910 | $20.63 |
BLS publishes percentile wages, not a starting salary[10]. These figures cover wage and salary workers. They leave out the self-employed, bonuses that are not tied to production, and the cost of benefits such as health insurance[11]. About 641,070 people held these jobs in May 2025[12].
Pay by state and city
Hawaii had the highest median pay for fast food cooks at $48,120 a year[13]. The District of Columbia was next at $44,670, then California at $42,050[13]. Mississippi had the lowest published median, at $22,670[13].
California also had the most jobs, with 124,440[14]. North Carolina had 81,980 and Missouri had 55,780[14].
Among metro areas, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA had the highest median at $47,220[15]. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA followed at $46,670, then Napa, CA at $45,300[15]. The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area had the most jobs, at 48,440[16].
Show median pay in 50 states and DC
| State | Median per year | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii[13] | $48,120 | n/a |
| District of Columbia | $44,670 | 2,760 |
| California | $42,050 | 124,440 |
| Washington | $39,120 | 9,020 |
| New Hampshire | $38,590 | 1,330 |
| Vermont | $38,230 | 640 |
| Oregon | $37,880 | 4,300 |
| Massachusetts | $37,870 | n/a |
| Colorado | $36,900 | 9,220 |
| Maine | $36,350 | 1,470 |
| New York | $35,770 | 11,710 |
| Rhode Island | $35,230 | 1,210 |
| Connecticut | $34,980 | 3,630 |
| Illinois | $34,960 | 13,430 |
| Minnesota | $34,120 | 5,190 |
| Alaska | $33,960 | 2,250 |
| Nevada | $33,840 | 5,890 |
| Maryland | $33,320 | 10,960 |
| Arizona | $32,660 | 11,210 |
| New Jersey | $32,220 | 3,440 |
| Delaware | $31,840 | 850 |
| Utah | $31,800 | 4,400 |
| Idaho | $31,070 | 1,610 |
| South Dakota | $30,950 | 1,720 |
| Nebraska | $30,430 | 2,900 |
| North Dakota | $30,220 | 580 |
| New Mexico | $30,190 | 1,800 |
| Virginia | $29,950 | 12,520 |
| Florida | $29,900 | 22,600 |
| Missouri | $29,890 | 55,780 |
| Indiana | $29,870 | 6,830 |
| Michigan | $29,460 | 14,340 |
| Wyoming | $28,950 | 890 |
| Wisconsin | $28,920 | 6,900 |
| Pennsylvania | $28,810 | 9,240 |
| Kansas | $28,640 | 1,610 |
| Iowa | $28,510 | 8,290 |
| Tennessee | $28,330 | 14,020 |
| Texas | $28,280 | 36,240 |
| Alabama | $27,870 | 26,740 |
| Oklahoma | $27,720 | 8,860 |
| Arkansas | $27,710 | 7,860 |
| South Carolina | $27,420 | 9,110 |
| North Carolina | $27,190 | 81,980 |
| Georgia | $26,940 | 12,940 |
| Ohio | $26,870 | 12,310 |
| Montana | $26,770 | 820 |
| Louisiana | $24,960 | 3,000 |
| Kentucky | $23,500 | 21,750 |
| West Virginia | $23,120 | 16,490 |
| Mississippi | $22,670 | 11,170 |
How to become a pizza cook
The typical path needs no formal education and no work experience in a related job. Training is short and happens on the job[7].
- First: apply. Employers may require or prefer a high school diploma, but formal schooling is not typically needed[17].
- Next: learn on the job. Trainees usually start with kitchen basics and workplace safety, then learn to handle and cook food[18].
- Then: check local rules. Some states and localities require a food handler's certification[19].
These training details come from a BLS profile of cooks that covers a wider group than fast food cooks[20]. It says some cooks also take culinary school programs or apprenticeships[21]. Those are not required for the fast food category[7].
What pizza cooks do
O*NET describes the job as cooking food at a fast food restaurant that serves a limited menu[22]. Typical tasks include:
- Reading order slips or hearing orders, then cooking the food as asked[23].
- Keeping work areas clean and following sanitation, health and safety rules[23].
- Running large-volume equipment such as grills, fryers or griddles[23].
- Cooking the right number of items for each order while handling several orders at once[23].
- Making specialty foods such as pizzas, sandwiches or tacos by quick, set methods[23].
- Checking that food meets quality and quantity needs[23].
- Taking orders and payment, or serving customers at windows and counters[23].
- Washing, cutting and preparing food for cooking[23].
Workers report job titles such as fry cook, grill cook and line cook[24].
Where they work
The BLS profile for the wider group of cooks says they work in restaurants, schools, hospitals, hotels and other places that serve food[25]. Food services and drinking places were the largest employer, at 76%[26].
The wider cook group stands for long stretches and works under pressure at a quick pace[27]. For cooks in general, slips, falls, cuts and burns are the most common hazards, though injuries are seldom serious[28]. Cooks wear protective items such as gloves, aprons and nonslip shoes[28].
For cooks in general, schedules vary and can include early mornings, late evenings, weekends and holidays[29]. Part-time work is common[29].
Job outlook
BLS projects fast food cook employment will rise 0.6% between 2025 and 2035, a gain of about 3,600 jobs[2]. The projection for all occupations is 3.5%[3]. That count includes self-employed workers[2].
About 86,400 openings a year are projected on average[6]. Openings include jobs left by workers who retire or change occupations, not only new jobs[6]. Each year, 5.9% of workers leave the workforce entirely and 7.5% switch to a different occupation[30].
Is it a good fit?
The facts point to a job that is easy to enter. It needs no formal education or related experience, and training is short[7]. The trade-off is pay. The median of $30,890 is below the $50,980 median for all occupations[1][5]. Growth is slow at 0.6%[2], but yearly openings are large because many workers leave or switch jobs[6][30]. Cooks in the wider BLS group work at a fast pace and stand for long periods[27].
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a pizza cook make an hour?
- Fast food cooks had a median pay of $14.85 an hour in May 2025[1]. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $10.86 and the highest-paid 10% earned more than $20.63[9].
- What education do you need to be a pizza cook?
- The typical entry path needs no formal educational credential[7]. Employers may prefer a high school diploma[17].
- How long does it take to become a pizza cook?
- BLS lists short-term on-the-job training and no related work experience for fast food cooks[7].
- Is the fast food cook job in demand?
- Employment is projected to rise 0.6% between 2025 and 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations[2][3]. About 86,400 openings a year are projected, including replacements for workers who leave[6].
- What is the highest paying state for fast food cooks?
- Hawaii had the highest median, at $48,120 a year, followed by the District of Columbia at $44,670 and California at $42,050[13].
Facts and sources
- BLS OEWS, May 2025: the median wage for Cooks, Fast Food in the US was $30,890 per year and $14.85 per hour. Half of workers earned more and half earned less. BLS OEWS, May 2025
- BLS Employment Projections: employment of Cooks, Fast Food is projected to grow 0.6% from 2025 to 2035, from about 640,500 to 644,100 jobs (a change of +3,600). These counts include self-employed workers. BLS Employment Projections
- BLS Employment Projections: employment in all occupations is projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035. BLS Employment Projections
- BLS OEWS, May 2025, annual wage percentiles for Cooks, Fast Food: 10th percentile $22,580, 25th percentile $27,260, 75th percentile $37,260, 90th percentile $42,910. The 10th percentile means 10% of workers earned less. BLS OEWS, May 2025
- BLS OEWS, May 2025: the median annual wage for all occupations in the US was $50,980. BLS OEWS, May 2025
- BLS Employment Projections: about 86,400 openings for Cooks, Fast Food are projected each year, on average, from 2025 to 2035. Openings include jobs that open when workers retire or move to other occupations, not only new jobs. BLS Employment Projections
- BLS Employment Projections, typical path into Cooks, Fast Food: education needed for entry: No formal educational credential; work experience in a related occupation: None; typical on-the-job training: Short-term on-the-job training. BLS Employment Projections
- BLS OEWS, May 2025: the mean (average) wage for Cooks, Fast Food was $32,390 per year and $15.57 per hour. BLS OEWS, May 2025
- BLS OEWS, May 2025, hourly wage percentiles for Cooks, Fast Food: 10th percentile $10.86, 25th percentile $13.11, 75th percentile $17.92, 90th percentile $20.63. BLS OEWS, May 2025
- BLS OEWS FAQ: a percentile wage is a boundary. The median (50th percentile) separates the highest-paid 50% from the lowest-paid 50% of workers in the occupation. OEWS publishes percentile wages, not a starting salary. BLS OEWS, May 2025
- BLS OEWS FAQ: OEWS covers part-time and full-time workers paid a wage or salary. It does not cover the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, household workers or unpaid family workers. OEWS wages do not include nonproduction bonuses or employer costs of benefits such as health insurance or retirement contributions. BLS OEWS, May 2025
- BLS OEWS, May 2025: about 641,070 people were employed as Cooks, Fast Food in the US (wage and salary jobs, not counting self-employed workers). BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage for Cooks, Fast Food in every state with published data, May 2025 (table on this page). BLS OEWS, May 2025
- BLS OEWS, May 2025, states with the most Cooks, Fast Food jobs: California 124,440; North Carolina 81,980; Missouri 55,780; Texas 36,240; Alabama 26,740. BLS OEWS, May 2025
- BLS OEWS, May 2025, metro areas with the highest median annual wage for Cooks, Fast Food (areas with at least 100 jobs): San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $47,220; San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $46,670; Napa, CA $45,300; Vallejo, CA $44,450; Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $44,030; Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA $43,840; Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $43,630; Salinas, CA $43,120. BLS OEWS, May 2025
- BLS OEWS, May 2025, metro areas with the most Cooks, Fast Food jobs: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 48,440 (median $38,000); St. Louis, MO-IL 17,700 (median $30,860); Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 16,910 (median $42,480); Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 15,830 (median $27,690); Kansas City, MO-KS 13,850 (median $30,170); Raleigh-Cary, NC 11,500 (median $28,220). BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, How to Become One: Education. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, How to Become One: Training. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, How to Become One: Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
- The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile "Cooks" covers Cooks, Fast Food together with other related occupations, so its text describes the wider group. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, How to Become One. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
- O*NET description of Cooks, Fast Food. O*NET OnLine
- O*NET task list for Cooks, Fast Food. O*NET OnLine
- O*NET 35-2011.00 sample job titles reported by workers: Cook, Cook Line Worker, Fast Food Cook, Food Cook, Fry Cook, Fryer, Grill Cook, Line Cook. O*NET OnLine
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, Work Environment. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, largest employers of cooks in 2025: Food services and drinking places 76%. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, Work Environment. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, Work Environment: Injuries and Illnesses. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, Work Environment: Work Schedules. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35 annual average for Cooks, Fast Food: 5.9% of workers leave the labor force each year and 7.5% move to a different occupation. BLS Employment Projections
- Related occupations (O*NET) with BLS pay, growth and entry education. O*NET OnLine
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerFacts has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.