Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
Food Preparation and Serving Related · SOC 35-2012
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 35-2012 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 45/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $37,450
- H-1B offered wage $39,166; LCAs are filings.
- Projected openings
- 62,500
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +2.0%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- 1
- FY2025 certified LCAs; 71,383 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Transition context
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
AI Exposure Analysis
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
Top Skills
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →Certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications naming this occupation, FY2016–FY2025. A descriptive high-skill labor-demand signal — employer filings, not visa approvals or individual outcomes. Note: one LCA can cover multiple worker positions.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
Prepare and cook large quantities of food for institutions, such as schools, hospitals, or cafeterias.
Common titles: Cafeteria Cook, Cook, Dietary Cook, Dinner Cook, Food Service Specialist, Food Service Worker
Representative Tasks
- •Monitor and record food temperatures to ensure food safety.
- •Cook foodstuffs according to menus, special dietary or nutritional restrictions, or numbers of portions to be served.
- •Rotate and store food supplies.
- •Wash pots, pans, dishes, utensils, or other cooking equipment.
- •Apportion and serve food to facility residents, employees, or patrons.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Monitor food services operations to ensure procedures are followed.
- •Inspect facilities, equipment or supplies to ensure conformance to standards.
- •Record operational or production data.
- •Cook foods.
- •Maintain food, beverage, or equipment inventories.
Tools & Technologies
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 0.0% | 0.9% |
| Outlook | Average | 60% Bright |
| Median Salary | $37,450 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |