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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

35-2012 Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria

Prepare and cook large quantities of food for institutions, such as schools, hospitals, or cafeterias.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
402,480 0.8 % $13.96 $29,030 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.23 $10.92 $13.34 $16.32 $19.50
Annual Wage (2) $19,200 $22,710 $27,750 $33,940 $40,570


Industry profile for this occupation:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Elementary and Secondary Schools 120,070 1.40 $12.97 $26,980
Special Food Services 58,650 7.99 $14.51 $30,180
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 46,320 2.89 $13.52 $28,130
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly 42,020 4.44 $14.28 $29,710
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 30,160 0.54 $15.90 $33,060

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Special Food Services 58,650 7.99 $14.51 $30,180
Rooming and Boarding Houses 590 5.05 $13.50 $28,070
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly 42,020 4.44 $14.28 $29,710
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 46,320 2.89 $13.52 $28,130
Child Day Care Services 18,560 2.01 $12.28 $25,550

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 2,620 0.13 $21.13 $43,960
Support Activities for Water Transportation 50 0.05 $20.28 $42,180
Insurance Carriers 90 0.01 $18.31 $38,090
Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation 370 0.96 $18.24 $37,940
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (5221 And 5223 only) 30 (7) $17.89 $37,210


Geographic profile for this occupation:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 30,000 2.41 0.88 $12.24 $25,450
California 24,900 1.43 0.52 $17.64 $36,700
Ohio 20,630 3.79 1.38 $13.41 $27,900
Illinois 20,450 3.39 1.24 $13.61 $28,310
Florida 19,560 2.22 0.81 $13.02 $27,090




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Virginia 4,930 7.02 2.56 $12.13 $25,230
Oklahoma 10,290 6.36 2.32 $10.79 $22,450
Mississippi 7,120 6.31 2.30 $10.00 $20,800
Montana 2,920 6.23 2.27 $13.39 $27,840
South Dakota 2,570 6.03 2.20 $13.11 $27,280




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Connecticut 3,290 1.98 0.72 $19.09 $39,710
Hawaii 1,360 2.15 0.78 $19.05 $39,610
Massachusetts 7,960 2.20 0.80 $18.70 $38,900
Alaska 1,400 4.42 1.61 $18.68 $38,850
District of Columbia 1,500 2.08 0.76 $18.11 $37,670





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

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 14,650 1.52 0.55 $18.04 $37,520
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 11,760 2.52 0.92 $14.22 $29,580
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 8,040 2.20 0.80 $13.20 $27,460
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 7,930 1.27 0.46 $17.19 $35,750
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 6,470 2.25 0.82 $16.12 $33,540
St. Louis, MO-IL 6,120 4.47 1.63 $12.97 $26,970
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 5,800 2.07 0.76 $18.83 $39,160
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 5,360 1.69 0.62 $16.75 $34,850
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 5,300 2.01 0.73 $13.43 $27,940
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 5,000 2.36 0.86 $14.04 $29,190




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Danville, IL 250 9.23 3.37 $13.02 $27,080
Lawton, OK 360 8.56 3.12 $10.89 $22,660
Pueblo, CO 510 8.40 3.06 $13.44 $27,960
Dover, DE 500 7.71 2.81 $15.70 $32,660
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH 940 7.21 2.63 $11.83 $24,610
Muncie, IN 320 7.19 2.62 $12.70 $26,420
Twin Falls, ID 330 7.18 2.62 $12.39 $25,770
Ames, IA 320 7.06 2.58 $13.98 $29,080
Sumter, SC 260 6.94 2.53 $9.62 $20,000
Decatur, AL 380 6.94 2.53 $9.64 $20,060




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI 100 1.34 0.49 $22.25 $46,280
Barnstable Town, MA 330 3.21 1.17 $20.54 $42,720
Napa, CA 70 0.88 0.32 $19.97 $41,540
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 680 1.63 0.60 $19.80 $41,170
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 1,100 1.89 0.69 $19.58 $40,730
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 3,690 1.49 0.54 $19.57 $40,710
Anchorage, AK 470 2.69 0.98 $19.53 $40,610
New Haven, CT 670 2.34 0.85 $19.48 $40,520
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 330 1.74 0.64 $19.46 $40,480
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 1,680 1.47 0.54 $19.23 $40,000

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 2,730 6.94 2.53 $11.40 $23,710
Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 1,570 9.26 3.38 $9.80 $20,370
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 1,490 5.37 1.96 $10.39 $21,620
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 1,440 6.13 2.24 $9.77 $20,310
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 1,430 8.40 3.06 $11.32 $23,540

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 950 14.65 5.35 $9.76 $20,300
East-Central Montana nonmetropolitan area 840 12.89 4.70 $13.17 $27,390
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 1,290 12.77 4.66 $10.83 $22,530
Northwest Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 1,010 10.80 3.94 $9.58 $19,920
East North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 690 10.77 3.93 $14.25 $29,640

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 160 1.57 0.57 $21.70 $45,130
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 130 2.12 0.77 $18.33 $38,130
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 850 7.87 2.87 $18.32 $38,100
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 250 4.16 1.52 $17.78 $36,980
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 340 3.34 1.22 $17.35 $36,080


About May 2019 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.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(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 OES estimates and related information:

May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 6, 2020