Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria Salary: $48,398 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 448,260 cooks, institution and cafeteria nationally earn a mean of $48,398. Employment in the series shown rose about 13% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 0.8% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria: what the data shows
Common questions about cooks, institution and cafeteria careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a cooks, institution and cafeteria?
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 35-2012.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 448,260 workers.
What does a cooks, institution and cafeteria do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a cooks, institution and cafeteria make?
BLS national median annual wage: $36,450 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $48,398 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,754 |
| 25th percentile | $40,314 |
| Median (50th) | $46,979 |
| 75th percentile | $51,781 |
| 90th percentile | $61,665 |
What education do you need?
For Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Monitoring, Speaking, Service Orientation, Judgment and Decision Making, Quality Control Analysis, Operations Monitoring, and knowledge areas including English Language, Food Production, Customer and Personal Service, Mathematics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is cooks, institution and cafeteria in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.8% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 3.8%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 7.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 448,260.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do cooks, institution and cafeterias work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 448,260 | 16.2% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 290,480 | 10.5% |
| Educational Services | 289,440 | 10.4% |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | 269,290 | 9.7% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 172,560 | 6.2% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 157,780 | 5.7% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria workforce.
Employment Over Time
448,260 Workforce in 2023
The Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$48,398 Average Wage
In 2023, Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria earned an average of $48,398.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria.
Salary distribution for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria.
Employment Growth Projections
0.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
112,742 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 3.8%
117,042 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 7.8%
This occupation is projected to grow at 0.8% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria.
Wage Trends by Industry
2.7% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 35,110 employees, $33,020 avg wage
- CA: 27,320 employees, $47,060 avg wage
- FL: 24,100 employees, $36,600 avg wage
- PA: 23,520 employees, $36,800 avg wage
- OH: 23,180 employees, $35,970 avg wage
- IL: 22,850 employees, $38,050 avg wage
- NY: 16,980 employees, $46,050 avg wage
- MI: 13,650 employees, $35,910 avg wage
- MO: 13,310 employees, $33,470 avg wage
- NC: 11,970 employees, $34,380 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 15,130 employees, $47,500 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 13,900 employees, $39,780 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 9,350 employees, $35,600 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 9,130 employees, $40,030 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 8,760 employees, $46,100 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 7,470 employees, $34,050 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 6,000 employees, $37,240 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 5,940 employees, $43,140 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 5,740 employees, $52,380 avg wage
- St. Louis, MO-IL: 5,560 employees, $35,540 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria.
Diversity
Demographic information on Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in 2023 was 448,260 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria workers.
Education level distribution for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria.
Skills
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria need many skills, but most especially Monitoring, Speaking, Service Orientation, Judgment and Decision Making, Quality Control Analysis.
Required skills for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria include English Language, Food Production, Customer and Personal Service, Mathematics, Administration and Management.
Knowledge areas required for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria include Near Vision, Oral Expression, Speech Clarity, Problem Sensitivity, Oral Comprehension.
Required abilities for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria.
Daily Activities
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work.
Most important work activities for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria.
About
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
The average yearly wage for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria was $48,398 in 2023.
SOC Code
35-2012 - Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria reports an average salary of $48,398.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 448,260 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 0.8%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.