Texas is on track to lead the country in culinary job growth over the next decade, with more than 52,000 new food-service positions expected by 2032. That wave of hiring is centered on front-line jobs like restaurant cooks, along with rising demand for chefs and food-service managers. For cooks looking for steady work and restaurants hustling to cover every shift, the outlook signals both big opportunity and serious pressure.
The projection comes from a state-by-state analysis published Dec. 30, 2025 by the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, which combined federal employment projections and BLS statistics to rank states on projected growth, raw job creation and recent performance. As Escoffier details, the study focused on three roles: chefs and head cooks, restaurant cooks and food-service managers, then normalized results into a single opportunity score. That overall score puts Texas in first place, with a combined projected growth rate of 24.88 percent through 2032.
According to Dallas CultureMap, those percentages translate to roughly 52,070 new culinary positions in Texas by 2032. That includes an estimated 45,150 new restaurant-cook jobs, about a 39.72 percent jump, along with 3,580 new chef and head-cook roles and roughly 3,340 additional food-service manager positions. CultureMap notes that Texas narrowly edges out California in total jobs added, and that together with California and Florida, the top three states are expected to create nearly 130,000 culinary jobs combined. For line cooks and prep cooks in Texas’ biggest cities, that points to expanding hiring pools for years to come.
How This Compares To National Trends
Across the country, cooks and other food-preparation workers are expected to stay in steady demand as Americans keep spending on restaurant meals and takeout. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment for cooks to grow in the coming decade, with ongoing turnover in both front-of-house and back-of-house roles producing thousands of openings each year. Escoffier’s state-by-state ranking shows how that demand is likely to be unevenly distributed, concentrating the biggest gains in large, fast-growing states.
Why Texas Is Set To Lead
Escoffier’s analysis points first to sheer scale. Texas combines a large current culinary workforce with higher-than-average projected growth rates, which together produce the biggest total job gain of any state. Large metropolitan areas with expanding hospitality and tourism sectors help pump up the numbers, and the school notes that the state’s mix of population growth and restaurant expansion explains why it lands at the top of the list. In short, Texas offers both volume and momentum, a combination that nudged it past other big contenders in the ranking.
Restaurants Say Hiring Is Still Tight
All that projected growth comes while many restaurants are still wrestling with staffing gaps in the here and now. Recent industry summaries from the Texas Restaurant Association describe a high share of operators struggling to fill open positions, facing rising labor costs and navigating the knock-on effects of immigration and enforcement shifts on their workforce. The National Restaurant Association has likewise called out higher labor costs and ongoing recruitment pressure for operators nationwide, a reminder that faster job growth on paper will not instantly fix hiring headaches for independent spots or small chains.
What Job Seekers And Restaurateurs Should Watch
For job seekers, the numbers point to more openings in line-cook positions and continued demand for managers and chefs with supervisory chops. On the employer side, restaurants looking to compete in a tightening labor market may need to lean harder on training, scheduling flexibility and pay, since that mix often decides who wins candidates when kitchens are short-staffed. If the projections bear out, Texas will remain one of the country’s most competitive battlegrounds for culinary hiring through 2032.
