Chef vs Line Cook: pay, outlook, education and work, side by side.
Every row comes from one named source and says which career leads on that one dimension. There is no overall score.
Chef vs Line Cook: BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 35-1011 and 35-2014). The national median annual wage is $62,470 for chefs and $37,390 for line cooks (BLS, May 2025). BLS projects national employment to change +6.6% for chefs and +12.1% for line cooks from 2025 to 2035. Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent vs No formal educational credential. Which fits better depends on what you value; the table shows who leads on each dimension, with no overall winner.
Side by side
Data Differences smaller than a stated threshold read “About the same” (pay 5%, growth 2 points, openings 10%, one education level, ORS 10 points, O*NET 0.2).
Pick what matters to you; the matching rows are highlighted. Nothing is combined into a score.
| Dimension · source | ChefSOC 35-1011 | Line CookSOC 35-2014 | Leads on this dimension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wageBLS OEWS, May 2025 (national) | $62,470 | $37,390 | Chef |
| EmploymentBLS OEWS, May 2025 | 200,040 | 1,409,890 | Not ranked |
| Projected employment change, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) | +6.6% | +12.1% | Line Cook |
| Projected numeric change in jobs, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) · A count, not a rate: it scales with the size of the occupation. | +14,400 jobs | +171,400 jobs | Not ranked |
| Projected openings (annual average)BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35 | 25,200 a year | 218,600 a year | Line Cook |
| Typical entry-level educationBLS Employment Projections · typical, not a legal requirement | High school diploma or equivalent | No formal educational credential | Line Cook |
| Typical work experience in a related occupationBLS Employment Projections | 5 years or more | Less than 5 years | Line Cook |
| Typical on-the-job trainingBLS Employment Projections | None | Moderate-term on-the-job training | Not ranked |
| Telework available (share of workers)2025 preliminary BLS ORS | less than 0.5% | less than 0.5% | About the same |
| No prior work experience required (share of workers)2025 preliminary BLS ORS | less than 15% | 57.5% | Line Cook |
| Pressure level (O*NET, 1–5; lower = less)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 3.83 | 2.67 | Line Cook |
| Social-contact level (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context · not ranked: neither direction is better | 4.38 | 3.65 | Not ranked |
| Freedom to make decisions (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 3.67 | 3.78 | About the same |
| Work styles O*NET rates most importantO*NET® 31.0 work styles (occupation ratings, not a personality test) | Dependability, Leadership Orientation, Attention to Detail | Dependability, Attention to Detail, Cooperation | Not ranked |
Choose based on what matters to you
Data Each line restates a measured difference from the table; nothing here predicts how you will feel about a job.
- higher median pay matters most ($62,470 vs $37,390)
- faster projected national growth matters (+12.1% vs +6.6%)
- a shorter typical education path matters (No formal educational credential vs High school diploma or equivalent)
- starting without related work experience matters (Less than 5 years vs 5 years or more)
- starting without prior experience matters (57.5% vs less than 15%)
- a lower-pressure work environment matters (2.67 vs 3.83)
Which skills each one leans on
Data O*NET 31.0 skill ratings: level (0–7) and importance.
Skill-profile match: 0% (similarity of the two O*NET skill profiles, importance × level; 100% = identical).
- Operations Analysis (+2.0 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Persuasion (+1.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Management of Material Resources (+1.6 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Negotiation (+1.6 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
No skill is rated meaningfully higher than for Chef.
What each career involves
Data Core tasks from O*NET 31.0.
Chef
- 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.
Line Cook
- Ensure food is stored and cooked at correct temperature by regulating temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.
- Inspect and clean food preparation areas, such as equipment, work surfaces, and serving areas, to ensure safe and sanitary food-handling practices.
- Portion, arrange, and garnish food, and serve food to waiters or patrons.
- Ensure freshness of food and ingredients by checking for quality, keeping track of old and new items, and rotating stock.
Largest employing industries
Data Share of all jobs in each occupation, BLS Employment Matrix 2025.
Chef
- Food services and drinking places (63.9% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Accommodation (8.3% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Amusement, gambling, and recreation industries (5.2% of all jobs in this occupation)
Line Cook
- Food services and drinking places (87.5% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Accommodation (5.1% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Amusement, gambling, and recreation industries (3.2% of all jobs in this occupation)
Moving between these careers
Data The comparison shows which; the career-change guides show how.
- Chef → Line Cook: skills to build: no skill rated half a point higher.
- Line Cook → Chef: skills to build: Operations Analysis, Persuasion, Management of Material Resources.
Go deeper
Chef career hub · Chef salary · Chef how to become · Line Cook career hub
Common questions
Which pays more, Chef or Line Cook?
Which is growing faster?
Which is better?
How this page is built
BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 35-1011 and 35-2014). Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025 national median for each occupation's SOC code. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 (growth, numeric change and annual openings are separate metrics). Requirements rows: 2025 preliminary BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, shown only when both roles have detailed-occupation estimates. Work environment: O*NET 31.0 work context. 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. TryHired has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Searches this page answers include “chef vs line cook” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
- Any one employer's pay, schedule or culture.
- Job security, ease of hiring or work-life balance: these are not measured here.
- Which career you will prefer: the rows describe the occupations, not you.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 national projections (growth, openings, typical entry-level education and experience).
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 estimates (preliminary: two of the third wave's samples, collected August 2023 to July 2025; released January 16, 2026), public domain.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (all jobs, including self-employed).