Food Service · SOC 35-2013
Private household cooks provide a personalized, relationship-based service that resists standardization and automation.
Hands-on, interpersonal or high-stakes work AI struggles to replace.
Timeline: AI recipe tools and smart appliances will streamline planning and sourcing by 2027, but the physical cooking, personalization, and trust-based household relationship keep this role highly human through 2035.
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$30,160 median pay
$36,830 median pay
$35,620 median pay
$34,220 median pay
$34,460 median pay
$36,450 median pay
AI job-risk card
Cooks, Private Household is resilient on AIFear. Hands-on, interpersonal or high-stakes work AI struggles to replace.
AIFear.com
Our AI Fear Score for Cooks, Private Household is 25/100 (Resilient). Hands-on, interpersonal or high-stakes work AI struggles to replace.
25 out of 100, based on an AI-model review of this occupation's O*NET tasks against what current AI can actually do.
Most exposed: Menu planning within dietary restrictions, Tracking household food finances and records, Researching recipes for special diets or events. Harder to automate: Cooking and baking in a private home, Serving family and guests, Stocking and organizing kitchen, Adapting to employer's real-time preferences.
Lean into Culinary arts and technique, Special dietary cooking, Household management, Client relationship management. Consider roles such as Personal Chef (business owner) or Catering Manager or Culinary Instructor.
Tasks, skills and AI-exposure for this role were reviewed by an AI model against its O*NET task profile (curated roles use published research anchors). Pay and employment, where shown, are U.S. BLS OEWS (May 2024) figures. This is an estimate, not a prediction about any individual's job. Compare all occupations.