Childcare Cook Statistics 2026: Job Market, Pay, Demand & Workforce
Live figures from 392 open childcare cook listings on Childcare Hires, next to federal employment and wage data.
Every number names its source and date, and the listing figures refresh every six hours.
Key Childcare Cook Statistics (2026)
- As of October 13, 2026, Childcare Hires listed 392 open childcare cook positions from 101 employers in 41 states.
- 293 of the 392 childcare cook listings live on Childcare Hires on October 13, 2026 (74.7%) were first posted in the previous 30 days.
- Employers hiring childcare cooks on Childcare Hires advertise a median of $17.00 an hour (68 employers, 157 listings stating hourly pay, October 13, 2026); this is advertised pay, not earnings.
- 40.3% of childcare cook listings on Childcare Hires carried a readable hourly or annual pay figure on October 13, 2026.
- At least 20.4% of childcare cook listings on Childcare Hires were part-time on October 13, 2026 (listings that name no schedule count as full-time, so the true share may be higher).
- The five largest employers posted 64.8% of childcare cook listings on Childcare Hires on October 13, 2026, led by Learning Care Group with 99.
- Texas had the most childcare cook listings on Childcare Hires on October 13, 2026: 51, or 13% of the national total.
- Child care services employed 20,620 institution and cafeteria cooks in May 2025, with a median annual wage of $35,150 (BLS OEWS, NAICS 6244).
Childcare Cook Job Market Statistics
Childcare Hires had 392 open childcare cook listings from 101 employers on October 13, 2026.
241 were first posted in the previous 14 days and 293 in the previous 30 days.
At least 20.4% of childcare cook listings were part-time on October 13, 2026.
Listings that name no schedule are counted as full-time, so the real part-time share is likely higher.
To browse the openings themselves, see all childcare cook listings.
Childcare Cook Pay Statistics
Employers hiring childcare cooks on Childcare Hires advertise a median of $17.00 an hour across 68 employers on October 13, 2026; this is advertised pay, not earnings.
BLS publishes no wage series for childcare cooks, so this page shows no federal pay benchmark.
For more on what childcare cooks earn, see the childcare cook salary guide.
Childcare Cook Demand by State
States with at least 25 open childcare cook listings from 10 or more employers on October 13, 2026.
Texas had the most open childcare cook listings on October 13, 2026, with 51 (13% of the national total).
North Carolina followed with 29 (7.4%).
To browse the openings in one state, start with childcare cook openings in Texas.
| State | Open listings | Share of U.S. | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 51 | 13% | 22 |
| North Carolina | 29 | 7.4% | 12 |
Childcare Hires listings, October 13, 2026. Listing counts reflect where employers post, not total employment.
Childcare Cook Employer Mix
101 employers had open childcare cook listings on Childcare Hires on October 13, 2026, and the five largest posted 64.8% of them.
76 employers (75.2%) had exactly one open childcare cook listing.
The largest single employer, Learning Care Group, posted 25.3% of all childcare cook listings, so this sample leans toward large childcare chains.
Childcare Cook Workforce
Child care services employed 20,620 institution and cafeteria cooks in May 2025, with a median annual wage of $35,150 (BLS OEWS, NAICS 6244).
The child care services industry employed 1,004,990 wage-and-salary workers in May 2025, with a median annual wage of $36,580 across all its occupations (BLS OEWS, NAICS 6244).
For why centers struggle to fill these roles, see our childcare staffing shortage analysis.
For how to enter the field, see the childcare cook career guide.
Childcare Cook Statistics FAQ
How many childcare cook openings are there right now?
Childcare Hires listed 392 open childcare cook positions from 101 employers in 41 states on October 13, 2026. 241 of them were first posted in the previous 14 days. The count is refreshed every six hours from live listings.
What do childcare cook job listings pay?
Employers hiring childcare cooks on Childcare Hires advertise a median of $17.00 an hour (68 employers, 157 listings, October 13, 2026). The middle half of listings offer $15.50 to $18.00. That is advertised pay, not earnings.
Which state has the most childcare cook listings?
Texas had the most open childcare cook listings on Childcare Hires on October 13, 2026, with 51 (13% of the national total). North Carolina followed with 29. Listing counts reflect where employers post, not total employment.
Methodology and Sources
Listing figures are computed from every active, paid childcare cook listing on Childcare Hires at the time shown, and refreshed every six hours.
Listings on a job board are not a random sample of all childcare cook jobs, so read them as a picture of current hiring, not of total employment.
Advertised pay is the midpoint of the range an employer posts, or its single figure, and hourly and annual postings are never converted into each other.
The headline is the employer median: each employer’s own median, then the median across employers, so a chain posting hundreds of openings counts once.
A pay figure needs at least 30 listings from 10 employers and is withheld when one employer posted more than 50% of them.
Federal figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and are quoted as published, with the year in each sentence.
- Childcare Hires job listings: active, paid listings for childcare cooks, queried live and refreshed every six hours.
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- BLS OEWS May 2025, Child Care Services (NAICS 6244)