Median pay for cooks, institution and cafeteria in each state, from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). Nationally the median is $37,450 a year across about 454,000 jobs. More about this career.
By state
Listed alphabetically to start; MajorPays does not rank states. Click a column heading to sort; shift-click more headings to sort by several columns as a group.
| State | Median pay | 10th to 90th percentile | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $27,120 | $20,040–$37,960 | 8,780 |
| Alaska | $48,580 | $37,990–$58,710 | 1,430 |
| Arizona | $39,660 | $34,490–$48,370 | 7,170 |
| Arkansas | $30,240 | $25,810–$39,720 | 6,530 |
| California | $46,390 | $37,570–$59,630 | 31,660 |
| Colorado | $42,500 | $36,290–$50,990 | 9,440 |
| Connecticut | $46,120 | $38,380–$56,570 | 4,500 |
| Delaware | $44,080 | $35,870–$47,560 | 2,680 |
| District of Columbia | $45,450 | $38,740–$55,680 | 1,500 |
| Florida | $36,250 | $31,650–$46,520 | 25,100 |
| Georgia | $35,090 | $28,220–$44,540 | 8,220 |
| Hawaii | $47,770 | $38,250–$65,020 | 1,570 |
| Idaho | $35,600 | $28,330–$45,550 | 3,650 |
| Illinois | $37,440 | $31,200–$48,130 | 22,840 |
| Indiana | $35,980 | $29,280–$44,760 | 11,130 |
| Iowa | $35,810 | $28,030–$44,150 | 8,860 |
| Kansas | $31,950 | $25,440–$42,000 | 7,570 |
| Kentucky | $31,550 | $25,580–$45,720 | 11,540 |
| Louisiana | $25,490 | $19,250–$36,200 | 5,740 |
| Maine | $43,490 | $36,060–$50,700 | 1,790 |
| Maryland | $41,380 | $35,520–$49,750 | 3,370 |
| Massachusetts | $47,790 | $39,250–$58,090 | 7,430 |
| Michigan | $36,870 | $29,800–$45,540 | 13,500 |
| Minnesota | $43,460 | $35,520–$52,140 | 7,890 |
| Mississippi | $27,390 | $20,760–$36,620 | 6,420 |
| Missouri | $34,900 | $28,600–$43,700 | 13,130 |
| Montana | $37,150 | $30,500–$50,600 | 2,290 |
| Nebraska | $36,390 | $29,890–$45,380 | 4,410 |
| Nevada | $39,430 | $32,020–$53,520 | 1,650 |
| New Hampshire | $45,370 | $35,790–$56,470 | 1,720 |
| New Jersey | $44,520 | $35,500–$53,060 | 7,490 |
| New Mexico | $36,470 | $28,920–$45,330 | 3,160 |
| New York | $45,880 | $36,280–$59,620 | 17,670 |
| North Carolina | $36,140 | $28,050–$45,130 | 11,170 |
| North Dakota | $39,490 | $31,300–$48,670 | 1,820 |
| Ohio | $36,720 | $29,530–$46,010 | 23,440 |
| Oklahoma | $29,270 | $21,620–$38,670 | 10,790 |
| Oregon | $44,520 | $36,690–$57,790 | 7,150 |
| Pennsylvania | $36,540 | $28,390–$46,380 | 24,490 |
| Rhode Island | $46,570 | $37,890–$58,380 | 1,190 |
| South Carolina | $34,960 | $21,890–$42,680 | 7,850 |
| South Dakota | $36,730 | $30,140–$45,650 | 2,120 |
| Tennessee | $35,570 | $27,830–$45,430 | 10,680 |
| Texas | $35,360 | $24,770–$44,840 | 24,740 |
| Utah | $38,200 | $28,870–$48,600 | 5,610 |
| Vermont | $46,370 | $38,120–$56,560 | 1,330 |
| Virginia | $37,890 | $30,000–$47,940 | 11,170 |
| Washington | $49,670 | $39,820–$62,840 | 9,780 |
| West Virginia | $29,740 | $23,820–$38,470 | 4,420 |
| Wisconsin | $38,650 | $32,110–$47,380 | 9,890 |
| Wyoming | $36,940 | $29,130–$47,830 | 1,570 |
Fields of study linked to this career by the federal CIP-to-SOC crosswalk (U.S. Department of Education, NCES, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics; a classification crosswalk, and many workers entered by other routes): Culinary Arts and Related Services · Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, state estimates (employees only; self-employed workers are not included); price-level adjustment uses the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (where 100 is the U.S. average; MajorPays' calculation). Wages are for an occupation in a state as a whole and vary widely by employer, experience, industry and place within the state. MajorPays selected and reorganized these figures; neither agency has approved or endorsed this presentation. See Data sources for each dataset's terms.