Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018
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: Top
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 400,320 |
0.7 % |
$13.60 |
$28,290 |
0.3 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$9.06 |
$10.58 |
$12.91 |
$15.80 |
$19.17 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$18,840 |
$22,000 |
$26,860 |
$32,860 |
$39,880 |
Industry profile for this occupation: Top
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 |
119,470 |
1.40 |
$12.71 |
$26,440 |
| Special Food Services |
55,160 |
7.69 |
$14.24 |
$29,630 |
| Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) |
45,820 |
2.85 |
$13.02 |
$27,080 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly |
40,560 |
4.36 |
$13.70 |
$28,500 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
30,580 |
0.55 |
$15.35 |
$31,930 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:
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) |
2,630 |
0.13 |
$20.99 |
$43,650 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) |
4,680 |
0.22 |
$18.38 |
$38,230 |
| Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation |
460 |
1.21 |
$17.54 |
$36,480 |
| Insurance Carriers |
90 |
0.01 |
$17.11 |
$35,580 |
| Inland Water Transportation |
380 |
1.48 |
$16.53 |
$34,380 |
Geographic profile for this occupation: Top
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 |
33,000 |
2.72 |
0.98 |
$11.91 |
$24,770 |
| California |
29,470 |
1.73 |
0.63 |
$17.15 |
$35,680 |
| Illinois |
19,960 |
3.33 |
1.20 |
$13.24 |
$27,550 |
| Ohio |
18,910 |
3.49 |
1.26 |
$13.11 |
$27,260 |
| New York |
16,180 |
1.72 |
0.62 |
$16.73 |
$34,800 |
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 |
5,090 |
7.30 |
2.64 |
$11.63 |
$24,200 |
| Mississippi |
7,180 |
6.39 |
2.31 |
$9.84 |
$20,460 |
| South Dakota |
2,570 |
6.08 |
2.20 |
$12.61 |
$26,230 |
| Oklahoma |
9,680 |
6.07 |
2.20 |
$10.41 |
$21,650 |
| Delaware |
2,650 |
5.90 |
2.13 |
$15.68 |
$32,620 |
Top paying States for this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Connecticut |
3,360 |
2.03 |
0.73 |
$18.55 |
$38,580 |
| Hawaii |
1,360 |
2.11 |
0.76 |
$18.32 |
$38,110 |
| Alaska |
1,250 |
3.97 |
1.43 |
$18.11 |
$37,670 |
| Massachusetts |
7,460 |
2.09 |
0.76 |
$17.93 |
$37,300 |
| District of Columbia |
1,600 |
2.24 |
0.81 |
$17.92 |
$37,270 |
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 |
14,970 |
1.58 |
0.57 |
$17.33 |
$36,050 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
11,550 |
2.49 |
0.90 |
$13.86 |
$28,830 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
8,910 |
1.46 |
0.53 |
$16.56 |
$34,440 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
8,450 |
2.37 |
0.86 |
$13.07 |
$27,180 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
6,870 |
2.41 |
0.87 |
$15.62 |
$32,500 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
6,010 |
1.92 |
0.69 |
$16.30 |
$33,910 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL |
5,670 |
4.16 |
1.50 |
$12.59 |
$26,180 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
5,470 |
1.98 |
0.72 |
$18.11 |
$37,670 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
5,360 |
2.70 |
0.98 |
$17.16 |
$35,700 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
5,300 |
1.97 |
0.71 |
$13.16 |
$27,370 |
United States Department of Labor
