Career
Cooks, private household
Cook for a private household.
$47,940
Median pay
+5.1%
Job growth, 2025–35
5,000
Openings a year
Postsecondary nondegree award
Typical education
Under 2 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Peel, wash, trim, and cook vegetables and meats, and bake breads and pastries.
- Cool, package, label, and freeze foods for later consumption and provide instructions for reheating.
- Plan menus according to employers' needs and diet restrictions.
- Shop for or order food and kitchen supplies and equipment.
- Prepare meals in private homes according to employers' recipes or tastes, handling all meals for the family and possibly for other household staff.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then people & care?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Peel, wash, trim, and cook vegetables and meats, and bake breads and pastries.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension, Complex Problem Solving.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
Under 2 years of education after high school (postsecondary nondegree award), for a median of $47,940 a year and 5,000 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Culinary Arts/Chef TrainingCIP 12.0503
- Restaurant, Culinary, and Catering Management/ManagerCIP 12.0504
- Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen AssistantCIP 12.0505
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Cooks, Restaurant$37,390 · +12.1%
- Chefs and Head Cooks$62,470 · +6.6%
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria$37,450 · +2.8%
- Food Preparation Workers$35,320 · -3.0%
- Cooks, Short Order$35,880 · -5.2%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
Not sure this fits who you are? Start with Vocational Finder →
Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.