Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria Salary in the United States

The median annual wage for cooks, institution and cafeteria in the U.S. is $37,450 ($18.01 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.

Median annual wage: $37,450
Mean annual wage: $38,810
Median hourly wage: $18.01
Employment: 441,050

Wage percentiles

U.S. wage distribution for cooks, institution and cafeteria (OEWS May 2025).
Percentile	Annual wage	Hourly wage
10th percentile	$28,480	$13.69
25th percentile	$32,440	$15.60
Median (50th)	$37,450	$18.01
75th percentile	$44,800	$21.54
90th percentile	$49,670	$23.88

Highest-paying states for cooks, institution and cafeteria

State	Median annual wage	Employment
Washington	$49,670	9,780
Alaska	$48,580	1,430
Massachusetts	$47,790	7,430
Hawaii	$47,770	1,570
Rhode Island	$46,570	1,190
California	$46,390	31,660
Vermont	$46,370	1,330
Connecticut	$46,120	4,500
New York	$45,880	17,670
District of Columbia	$45,450	1,500

Lowest-paying states

Louisiana: $25,490 median annual wage
Alabama: $27,120 median annual wage
Mississippi: $27,390 median annual wage
Oklahoma: $29,270 median annual wage
West Virginia: $29,740 median annual wage

Related occupations

Fast Food and Counter Workers$31,200
Waiters and Waitresses$35,230
Cooks, Restaurant$37,390
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers$44,080
Food Preparation Workers$35,320
Bartenders$34,340
Cooks, Fast Food$30,890
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers$33,980

About this data

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.

Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.