Cooks: how women's and men's pay compare
Among full-time, year-round cooks in the United States, women had a median of $30,282 in 2024 and men had $33,031. Women's median was 91.7% of men's (margin of error ±2.3%). The $2,749 difference is larger than its margin of error (±$829), so it is statistically distinguishable from zero at the 90% level the Census Bureau uses. That is a narrower ratio than the 83.1% for all full-time, year-round workers ($55,678 vs $66,965, Census table B20017).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year, tables B24122/B24123/B24125/B24126. Full-time, year-round civilian workers 16+, 2024 dollars. Retrieved 2026-10-09. ± values are 90% margins of error.
Where this occupation sits
About 442,590 women and 670,160 men worked full-time, year-round in this occupation, so women were 39.8% of the group (±1.0%). That makes it a majority-men occupation, ranked #25 of 40 in this set by women's share.
Among the 40 large occupations in this set, it ranks #7 for the smallest gap (women's median as a share of men's; #1 is closest to equal), #38 for women's median earnings, and #37 for the largest dollar difference.
Occupations with a similar share of women
| Occupation | Women | Men | Women/men | Women's share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawyers | $148,567 | $181,226 | 82.0% | 40% |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers | $44,799 | $59,744 | 75.0% | 38% |
| Retail salespersons | $37,383 | $51,171 | 73.1% | 37% |
Occupations with a similar pay ratio
| Occupation | Women | Men | Women/men | Women's share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal care aides | $35,386 | $38,890 | 91.0% | 78% |
| Elementary and middle school teachers | $60,916 | $65,701 | 92.7% | 79% |
| Cashiers | $29,428 | $31,725 | 92.8% | 65% |
What this number does and doesn't tell you
- These are unadjusted medians for people who worked full-time, year-round. They do not control for hours beyond full-time, years of experience, seniority, employer, location, or the specific jobs inside the occupation group.
- A gap here is a description, not proof of discrimination, and the absence of a gap does not prove equal treatment. Estimates come from a sample survey, which is why every figure has a margin of error.
- The Census Bureau groups jobs into detailed occupations; "Cooks" is the Bureau's category and may combine jobs you think of as different.
- For a specific state, see the state pay-gap pages. To compare any two jobs, use the pay-gap lookup tool. For how we work with data, see our methodology.