Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria pay in the U.S.
$38,810avg. a year
$18.66 an hour · 441,050 employed
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in the U.S. earn an average of $38,810 a year and a median of $37,450. Pay is highest in Hawaii ($52,100) and lowest in Louisiana ($27,300).
$37,450Median pay
$18.66Average hourly
+30%Avg. pay since 2020
441,050Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for cooks, institution and cafeteria
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
11,570 jobs
Hawaii
$52,100
$25.05 an hour
29,780 jobs
Washington
$51,290
$24.66 an hour
31,430 jobs
Alaska
$49,410
$23.76 an hour
47,430 jobs
Massachusetts
$48,750
$23.44 an hour
531,660 jobs
California
$47,900
$23.03 an hour
617,670 jobs
New York
$46,850
$22.52 an hour
71,190 jobs
Rhode Island
$46,620
$22.41 an hour
84,500 jobs
Connecticut
$46,320
$22.27 an hour
91,330 jobs
Vermont
$46,260
$22.24 an hour
101,500 jobs
District of Columbia
$45,560
$21.90 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $35k$35k–$39k$39k–$44k$44k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $57,770 | $27.77 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $54,290 | $26.10 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $53,820 | $25.87 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | $52,850 | $25.41 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $52,440 | $25.21 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $51,930 | $24.97 |
| Fairbanks-College, AK | $51,500 | $24.76 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $50,630 | $24.34 |
Related jobs
- Cooks, Restaurant$38,730
- Food Preparation Workers$35,290
- Cooks, Fast Food$32,390
- Cooks, Short Order$36,120
- Cooks, All Other$39,150
- Cooks, Private Household$53,680
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $27,870 | $27,120 | 8,780 |
| Alaska | $49,410 | $48,580 | 1,430 |
| Arizona | $41,350 | $39,660 | 7,170 |
| Arkansas | $32,720 | $30,240 | 6,530 |
| California | $47,900 | $46,390 | 31,660 |
| Colorado | $43,690 | $42,500 | 9,440 |
| Connecticut | $46,320 | $46,120 | 4,500 |
| Delaware | $42,720 | $44,080 | 2,680 |
| District of Columbia | $45,560 | $45,450 | 1,500 |
| Florida | $38,170 | $36,250 | 25,100 |
| Georgia | $35,380 | $35,090 | 8,220 |
| Hawaii | $52,100 | $47,770 | 1,570 |
| Idaho | $36,160 | $35,600 | 3,650 |
| Illinois | $39,210 | $37,440 | 22,840 |
| Indiana | $35,910 | $35,980 | 11,130 |
| Iowa | $35,260 | $35,810 | 8,860 |
| Kansas | $32,990 | $31,950 | 7,570 |
| Kentucky | $33,790 | $31,550 | 11,540 |
| Louisiana | $27,300 | $25,490 | 5,740 |
| Maine | $43,520 | $43,490 | 1,790 |
| Maryland | $42,750 | $41,380 | 3,370 |
| Massachusetts | $48,750 | $47,790 | 7,430 |
| Michigan | $37,370 | $36,870 | 13,500 |
| Minnesota | $43,050 | $43,460 | 7,890 |
| Mississippi | $27,850 | $27,390 | 6,420 |
| Missouri | $35,190 | $34,900 | 13,130 |
| Montana | $38,950 | $37,150 | 2,290 |
| Nebraska | $37,310 | $36,390 | 4,410 |
| Nevada | $41,850 | $39,430 | 1,650 |
| New Hampshire | $45,450 | $45,370 | 1,720 |
| New Jersey | $44,110 | $44,520 | 7,490 |
| New Mexico | $37,130 | $36,470 | 3,160 |
| New York | $46,850 | $45,880 | 17,670 |
| North Carolina | $36,130 | $36,140 | 11,170 |
| North Dakota | $41,140 | $39,490 | 1,820 |
| Ohio | $37,160 | $36,720 | 23,440 |
| Oklahoma | $30,210 | $29,270 | 10,790 |
| Oregon | $45,220 | $44,520 | 7,150 |
| Pennsylvania | $36,950 | $36,540 | 24,490 |
| Rhode Island | $46,620 | $46,570 | 1,190 |
| South Carolina | $33,270 | $34,960 | 7,850 |
| South Dakota | $37,630 | $36,730 | 2,120 |
| Tennessee | $35,260 | $35,570 | 10,680 |
| Texas | $34,870 | $35,360 | 24,740 |
| Utah | $39,570 | $38,200 | 5,610 |
| Vermont | $46,260 | $46,370 | 1,330 |
| Virginia | $39,500 | $37,890 | 11,170 |
| Washington | $51,290 | $49,670 | 9,780 |
| West Virginia | $31,470 | $29,740 | 4,420 |
| Wisconsin | $39,860 | $38,650 | 9,890 |
| Wyoming | $37,620 | $36,940 | 1,570 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$48,130
15,270 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$40,800
14,010 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$46,490
9,860 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$39,980
9,810 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$37,710
6,620 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$38,780
6,220 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
St. Louis, MO-IL$44,710
5,670 jobs$37,000
5,410 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do cooks, institution and cafeteria make?
The average is $38,810 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $37,450 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $18.66, and the median is $18.01 an hour.
Which state pays cooks, institution and cafeteria the most?
Hawaii, with an average of $52,100 a year. The best-paying metro area is Kahului-Wailuku, HI at $57,770.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $28,480 a year, and the top 10% earn over $49,670.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 35-2012. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.