Chefs and Head Cooks

Low Risk
21%

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Vote Comments (17)
AUTOMATION RISK
CALCULATED
9%
(Minimal Risk)
POLLING
33%
(Low Risk, Based on 672 votes)
Average: 21%
LABOR DEMAND
GROWTH
8.3%
by year 2033
WAGES
$58,920
or $28.32 per hour
Volume
172,370
as of 2023
SUMMARY
What does this snowflake show?
The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes.
JOB SCORE
7.0/10
What's this?
Job Score (higher is better):

We rate jobs using four factors. These are:

- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions

These are some key things to think about when job hunting.

People also viewed

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Calculated automation risk

9% (Minimal Risk)

Minimal Risk (0-20%): Occupations in this category have a low probability of being automated, as they typically demand complex problem-solving, creativity, strong interpersonal skills, and a high degree of manual dexterity. These jobs often involve intricate hand movements and precise coordination, making it difficult for machines to replicate the required tasks.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Some quite important qualities of the job are difficult to automate:

  • Social Perceptiveness

  • Originality

  • Cramped Work Space, Awkward Positions

  • Assisting and Caring for Others

  • Manual Dexterity

  • Negotiation

  • Finger Dexterity

  • Persuasion

User poll

33% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted there's a low chance this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 9% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Chefs and Head Cooks will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

Sentiment

The following graph is shown where there are enough votes to produce meaningful data. It displays user poll results over time, providing a clear indication of sentiment trends.

Sentiment over time (yearly)

Growth

Very fast growth relative to other professions

The number of 'Chefs and Head Cooks' job openings is expected to rise 8.3% by 2033

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2023 and 2033
Updated projections are due 09-2025.

Wages

Moderately paid relative to other professions

In 2023, the median annual wage for 'Chefs and Head Cooks' was $58,920, or $28 per hour

'Chefs and Head Cooks' were paid 22.6% higher than the national median wage, which stood at $48,060

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Volume

Greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2023 there were 172,370 people employed as 'Chefs and Head Cooks' within the United States.

This represents around 0.11% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 880 people are employed as 'Chefs and Head Cooks'.

Job description

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.

SOC Code: 35-1011.00

Comments (17)

Leave a comment
Demi chef majd (No chance)
11 Oct 2025 15:48
The task of cooking, moving around the kitchen, and interacting with customers is the soul of the food. Without cooking, there is no soul and no flavor in the food.
Jae (No chance)
12 Jul 2025 20:50
Low key I think robots taking over like full businesses would be hard bc people can be difficult sometimes and robots I feel like wouldn't grasp that
facundo (Low)
12 Jan 2025 21:55
because AI and Robots are still BAD at logic mostly. and they could add sugar to a meal thinking they addes sugar in a meal
Awang razak
10 Dec 2024 14:59
Nothing beats my moms cook her foods were my top favorites out of all not even a super smart robot can beat it
kenzz (Low)
22 Nov 2024 01:31
Robots cannot cook food as well as humans period, there would not be any soul or love in the food and you would be able to tell.
Rafael (No chance)
10 Sep 2024 12:28
The chef needs to be there, to know the time of the food to be ready and also, need to deal with problems and also carry weight, things robots wont be able to do
tiago (Low)
08 Sep 2024 14:48
If the robot has an accident thats something that the buisness owner or even the goverment would have to pay for. But also cooking is kinda about communication and i dont think robots have a sense of communication.
stonehead (No chance)
22 May 2024 10:35
cooking requires taste and robots don't have a sense of taste
G. M. (Low)
21 Aug 2023 17:50
I work in the industry and agree with the data presented
Quance (Highly likely)
12 Apr 2023 19:57
because they are improving day by day it can happen in 5 or 10 years
Lila (No chance)
17 Dec 2022 23:50
Unless there's a massive leap in AI and sensor technology, the possibility of a machine making high-quality, good-tasting food from scratch is low.

Recipe development will need to be done by humans. Mundane preparation and such will almost certainly be automated, so consistent and easy-to-determine doneness foods (like french fries, mass-produced and standardized sandwiches, etc.) will likely be done by robots.

However, I can see the first AI James Beard or Michelin star-winning chef probably within 50-60 years.
bob (Moderate)
08 Dec 2022 14:45
Because robots are pretty smart and can do way more things at a time than humans
nic (Low)
27 Jan 2022 08:10
Being a good professional chef/cook is a more difficult job than being a household cook or a regular cook. It requires experience, knowledge, and sometimes complicated techniques. Additionally, some creativity and sensory perception are necessary.
luis
19 May 2021 01:07
A machine that helps weigh the ingredients with the exact weight to speed up cooking and can produce more food. That would be in a macro food business, thank you
james (No chance)
22 Jun 2020 08:22
because you need people to taste the food and react to different ways of making it e.g you may need to mix something longer depending on the day
Grace (Moderate)
13 Feb 2020 00:49
I love cooking and I do it pretty well, but I believe that if you give a machine the list of ingredients and clear instructions or algorithms about how to prepare a meal it can definitely do it and then learn about it.
Marek
21 Oct 2022 12:26
Silly silly boy, you can’t replace chef with the machine.
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