Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023
35-2012 Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
Prepare and cook large quantities of food for institutions, such as schools, hospitals, or cafeterias.
National estimates for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
Industry profile for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
Geographic profile for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
National estimates for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 435,640 |
1.0 % |
$ 17.27 |
$ 35,920 |
0.4 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 12.16 |
$ 14.08 |
$ 16.98 |
$ 19.39 |
$ 22.75 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 25,290 |
$ 29,280 |
$ 35,320 |
$ 40,320 |
$ 47,310 |
Industry profile for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
137,290 |
1.60 |
$ 16.01 |
$ 33,300 |
| Special Food Services |
66,940 |
9.29 |
$ 18.01 |
$ 37,450 |
| Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) |
47,390 |
3.44 |
$ 16.57 |
$ 34,470 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly |
45,110 |
4.88 |
$ 17.97 |
$ 37,370 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
30,770 |
0.54 |
$ 19.89 |
$ 41,370 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Special Food Services |
66,940 |
9.29 |
$ 18.01 |
$ 37,450 |
| Rooming and Boarding Houses, Dormitories, and Workers' Camps |
500 |
5.02 |
$ 19.39 |
$ 40,330 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly |
45,110 |
4.88 |
$ 17.97 |
$ 37,370 |
| Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) |
47,390 |
3.44 |
$ 16.57 |
$ 34,470 |
| Child Care Services |
19,720 |
2.10 |
$ 15.32 |
$ 31,860 |
Top paying industries for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Support Activities for Mining |
30 |
0.01 |
$ 27.70 |
$ 57,620 |
| Motion Picture and Video Industries |
130 |
0.03 |
$ 26.19 |
$ 54,470 |
| Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation |
240 |
0.62 |
$ 25.31 |
$ 52,640 |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) |
2,730 |
0.13 |
$ 25.14 |
$ 52,280 |
| Support Activities for Water Transportation |
110 |
0.11 |
$ 22.36 |
$ 46,510 |
Geographic profile for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Texas |
39,230 |
2.89 |
1.01 |
$ 15.40 |
$ 32,030 |
| California |
24,260 |
1.35 |
0.47 |
$ 22.24 |
$ 46,250 |
| Ohio |
23,320 |
4.26 |
1.49 |
$ 16.73 |
$ 34,790 |
| Pennsylvania |
20,980 |
3.53 |
1.23 |
$ 17.19 |
$ 35,750 |
| Florida |
20,730 |
2.17 |
0.76 |
$ 16.76 |
$ 34,870 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Oklahoma |
11,440 |
6.87 |
2.40 |
$ 13.18 |
$ 27,420 |
| North Dakota |
2,660 |
6.38 |
2.22 |
$ 18.58 |
$ 38,650 |
| West Virginia |
4,270 |
6.21 |
2.16 |
$ 14.27 |
$ 29,680 |
| Kentucky |
12,020 |
6.12 |
2.13 |
$ 14.85 |
$ 30,890 |
| Iowa |
8,880 |
5.75 |
2.00 |
$ 15.77 |
$ 32,790 |
Top paying states for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Alaska |
1,440 |
4.62 |
1.61 |
$ 23.07 |
$ 47,980 |
| Washington |
11,620 |
3.32 |
1.16 |
$ 22.95 |
$ 47,740 |
| Massachusetts |
8,100 |
2.22 |
0.78 |
$ 22.47 |
$ 46,730 |
| California |
24,260 |
1.35 |
0.47 |
$ 22.24 |
$ 46,250 |
| Hawaii |
990 |
1.60 |
0.56 |
$ 21.86 |
$ 45,470 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
14,800 |
1.56 |
0.54 |
$ 21.85 |
$ 45,460 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
12,520 |
2.78 |
0.97 |
$ 18.45 |
$ 38,370 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
9,120 |
2.30 |
0.80 |
$ 16.68 |
$ 34,690 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
8,640 |
3.05 |
1.06 |
$ 18.67 |
$ 38,830 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
7,860 |
1.27 |
0.44 |
$ 21.79 |
$ 45,330 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
7,460 |
2.35 |
0.82 |
$ 15.75 |
$ 32,760 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
6,500 |
3.13 |
1.09 |
$ 24.17 |
$ 50,270 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
6,220 |
2.01 |
0.70 |
$ 20.51 |
$ 42,660 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL |
6,170 |
4.66 |
1.62 |
$ 16.23 |
$ 33,760 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
5,750 |
2.08 |
0.73 |
$ 22.98 |
$ 47,800 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Carbondale-Marion, IL |
540 |
10.22 |
3.56 |
$ 15.00 |
$ 31,200 |
| Farmington, NM |
410 |
8.98 |
3.13 |
$ 15.41 |
$ 32,050 |
| Danville, IL |
230 |
8.71 |
3.04 |
$ 17.40 |
$ 36,190 |
| Lawton, OK |
360 |
8.46 |
2.95 |
$ 13.28 |
$ 27,630 |
| Enid, OK |
180 |
7.56 |
2.63 |
$ 12.89 |
$ 26,810 |
| Dover, DE |
500 |
7.53 |
2.62 |
$ 18.99 |
$ 39,500 |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH |
930 |
7.22 |
2.52 |
$ 14.13 |
$ 29,380 |
| Pine Bluff, AR |
210 |
7.06 |
2.46 |
$ 14.04 |
$ 29,200 |
| Fort Smith, AR-OK |
740 |
6.97 |
2.43 |
$ 13.23 |
$ 27,520 |
| Bowling Green, KY |
540 |
6.82 |
2.38 |
$ 14.53 |
$ 30,220 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
1,710 |
1.50 |
0.52 |
$ 24.82 |
$ 51,630 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
3,360 |
1.39 |
0.48 |
$ 24.51 |
$ 50,990 |
| Napa, CA |
90 |
1.11 |
0.39 |
$ 24.37 |
$ 50,700 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
6,500 |
3.13 |
1.09 |
$ 24.17 |
$ 50,270 |
| New Haven, CT |
740 |
2.56 |
0.89 |
$ 23.37 |
$ 48,600 |
| Barnstable Town, MA |
240 |
2.39 |
0.83 |
$ 23.33 |
$ 48,520 |
| Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI |
100 |
1.37 |
0.48 |
$ 23.20 |
$ 48,260 |
| Anchorage, AK |
540 |
3.21 |
1.12 |
$ 23.03 |
$ 47,890 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
5,750 |
2.08 |
0.73 |
$ 22.98 |
$ 47,800 |
| Fairbanks, AK |
100 |
2.80 |
0.98 |
$ 22.83 |
$ 47,490 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria:
| Nonmetropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Kansas nonmetropolitan area |
2,820 |
7.27 |
2.53 |
$ 14.24 |
$ 29,620 |
| North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) |
1,980 |
6.09 |
2.12 |
$ 15.44 |
$ 32,120 |
| Southeast Missouri nonmetropolitan area |
1,530 |
9.45 |
3.30 |
$ 14.20 |
$ 29,540 |
| South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area |
1,480 |
8.65 |
3.01 |
$ 13.10 |
$ 27,250 |
| Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area |
1,450 |
6.86 |
2.39 |
$ 14.74 |
$ 30,660 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria:
About May 2023 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: April 3, 2024
United States Department of Labor
