occupation · 35-2012 · detailed
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria — wages and employment
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria earned a median annual wage of $36,450 in the United States in May 2024, with 448,260 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria earned a median annual wage of $36,450 in the United States in May 2024, with 448,260 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $26,800 or less, the best-paid tenth $48,320 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $35,320 to $36,450, +3.2 %. The best-paying state is Washington at $48,260; the lowest Puerto Rico at $25,380. Among metropolitan areas, Kahului-Wailuku, HI pays the highest median, $54,840. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 448,260 | $36,450 | $37,310 | $26,800 | $30,530 | $42,860 | $48,320 | $17.53 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 435,640 | $35,320 | $35,920 | $25,290 | $29,280 | $40,320 | $47,310 | $16.98 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $48,260 | 10,210 |
| Hawaii | $47,250 | 1,270 |
| Alaska | $46,900 | 1,540 |
| Massachusetts | $46,280 | 7,510 |
| Connecticut | $45,870 | 3,630 |
| California | $45,680 | 27,320 |
| District of Columbia | $45,600 | 1,560 |
| Rhode Island | $45,450 | 940 |
| New Hampshire | $45,280 | 2,020 |
| New York | $45,160 | 16,980 |
| New Jersey | $44,050 | 7,290 |
| Delaware | $43,490 | 2,520 |
| Minnesota | $42,180 | 7,650 |
| Oregon | $41,870 | 7,010 |
| Vermont | $41,020 | 1,350 |
| Colorado | $40,890 | 9,520 |
| Maine | $39,810 | 2,120 |
| Arizona | $39,470 | 6,840 |
| North Dakota | $39,060 | 2,120 |
| Maryland | $38,900 | 3,730 |
| Nevada | $38,550 | 1,590 |
| Wisconsin | $37,840 | 9,680 |
| Utah | $37,740 | 5,480 |
| Pennsylvania | $36,830 | 23,520 |
| Montana | $36,690 | 2,270 |
| Illinois | $36,430 | 22,850 |
| Virginia | $36,260 | 11,070 |
| Ohio | $36,250 | 23,180 |
| Michigan | $35,870 | 13,650 |
| Wyoming | $35,650 | 1,500 |
| Florida | $35,640 | 24,100 |
| Nebraska | $35,630 | 4,360 |
| South Dakota | $35,360 | 2,160 |
| Indiana | $35,080 | 11,690 |
| Georgia | $34,960 | 7,440 |
| North Carolina | $34,590 | 11,970 |
| Iowa | $34,560 | 9,460 |
| New Mexico | $34,240 | 3,650 |
| Idaho | $33,880 | 3,950 |
| Guam | $33,640 | 80 |
| Texas | $32,780 | 35,110 |
| Tennessee | $31,910 | 11,890 |
| South Carolina | $31,730 | 7,560 |
| Missouri | $30,920 | 13,310 |
| Kansas | $30,920 | 7,470 |
| Kentucky | $30,770 | 11,650 |
| Virgin Islands | $29,940 | 110 |
| Arkansas | $29,700 | 6,700 |
| West Virginia | $28,790 | 4,540 |
| Oklahoma | $28,710 | 11,660 |
| Alabama | $26,780 | 8,970 |
| Louisiana | $26,410 | 6,280 |
| Mississippi | $25,830 | 6,470 |
| Puerto Rico | $25,380 | 7,830 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $54,840 | 210 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $50,290 | 5,740 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $49,850 | 180 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $48,940 | 1,880 |
| Bellingham, WA | $48,050 | 250 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $48,000 | 250 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $47,920 | 60 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $47,920 | 4,040 |
| Napa, CA | $47,910 | 90 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $47,700 | 270 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $47,540 | 860 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | $47,420 | 180 |
| Fairbanks-College, AK | $47,410 | 110 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $46,910 | 5,460 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $46,760 | 410 |
| Anchorage, AK | $46,750 | 670 |
| New Haven, CT | $46,510 | 620 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $46,480 | 860 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $46,370 | 15,130 |
| Ithaca, NY | $46,220 | 210 |
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