Prevailing Wage for Cooks, All Other
The prevailing wage for Cooks, All Other (SOC 35-2019) is set by the Department of Labor using regional wage surveys and varies significantly by city and experience level. DOL establishes four wage levels tied to job duties and supervision requirements, so the floor for the same role can differ substantially between markets.
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Level 1 covers entry-level cooks with limited experience, typically following detailed instructions under close supervision. Employers file here for positions requiring minimal independent judgment, often in structured kitchen environments where tasks are routine and closely directed by lead staff.
Level 2 applies to qualified cooks with moderate experience who work independently on standard assignments. This is the most common filing level for Cooks, All Other, covering positions that require some judgment but operate within established kitchen procedures and supervision structures.
Level 3 covers experienced cooks who handle complex food preparation with limited supervision and may guide junior staff. Employers file at this level when the role requires adapting techniques, managing multiple preparation tasks simultaneously, or contributing to menu execution in a lead capacity.
Level 4 applies to fully competent cooks in senior or specialized roles with broad responsibility, high autonomy, and often oversight of other kitchen staff. These positions involve advanced culinary techniques, significant independent decision-making, and accountability for kitchen output or quality standards.
Prevailing Wage for Cooks, All Other by OES area
Each shape is a DOL OES area, the unit prevailing wage is published for.
What’s an OES area?
The Department of Labor publishes prevailing wages for geographic zones called OES areas. Every U.S. county belongs to exactly one, and the wage floor applies across the whole area. A worker in Oakland gets the San Francisco metro wage, not a separate Oakland wage.
Top 10 cities · Level 1
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Confirm your job duties match your filed level
Cooks, All Other spans highly varied kitchen roles. A position involving routine prep under direct supervision should file at L1 or L2, while a role requiring autonomous technique and junior staff oversight warrants L3. Mismatches between duties and filed level are a common LCA compliance issue in food service hiring.
Watch out for low-wage metro traps
The prevailing wage for this occupation in markets like Laredo or El Paso runs well below the national median. If your offer is in a lower-wage metro, confirm the LCA cites your actual worksite city, not a higher-wage headquarters location that inflates the stated floor.
Treat signing bonuses as a wage compliance risk
In food service sponsorships, some employers pad total compensation with a one-time signing bonus to clear the prevailing wage floor on paper. DOL requires the employer to pay the prevailing wage as a regular recurring wage rate, so bonuses and non-recurring payments generally do not count toward compliance.
Use Migrate Mate to find employers with cook sponsorship history
Sponsorship for Cooks, All Other is concentrated among a small number of hospitality groups and food service operators. Migrate Mate shows which employers have actually sponsored this role before, so you can focus your search on companies with a real track record rather than guessing from job postings.
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Find Jobs for Cooks, All OtherFrequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Cooks, All Other?
DOL calculates prevailing wages for Cooks, All Other using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These surveys capture actual wages paid in each metro area for workers in SOC 35-2019. OFLC then publishes four wage levels derived from that regional data, which employers must meet when filing an LCA for a sponsored cook position.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I identify which applies to my offer?
The four levels reflect increasing experience, autonomy, and responsibility. Level 1 is entry-level with close supervision; Level 2 is qualified and largely independent; Level 3 is experienced with some oversight duties; Level 4 is fully competent with broad authority. You identify your level by comparing your actual job duties and supervision structure to DOL's definitions, not simply your years of experience or your job title.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same cook role vary so much between cities?
OFLC sets wages using regional OES surveys, so wages reflect what employers in each metro actually pay. Dense hospitality markets like Seattle or Miami show higher floors because local competition for kitchen workers drives wages up. Sparse or lower-cost markets like Laredo post significantly lower figures. Critically, the LCA must cite the actual worksite address, so the prevailing wage is pinned to where you will physically work, not where the employer is headquartered.
What happens if an employer offers less than the prevailing wage for a sponsored cook position?
An employer who files an LCA at a wage below the applicable prevailing wage is not in compliance with DOL requirements. USCIS can deny the H-1B or other work visa petition if the LCA wage is insufficient. If an offer falls below the floor for your level and worksite, the employer must either increase the offered wage or refile at the correct level before the petition can proceed.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for Cooks, All Other in a specific U.S. city?
You can look up the current prevailing wage by occupation and metro area using the OFLC Wage Search tool, which publishes the four-level wage tables DOL uses for LCA certification. Search by SOC code 35-2019 and your worksite metro. Migrate Mate also lists cook positions by employers with verified sponsorship history, where you can filter by location and see which companies have sponsored this role in specific markets.
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