Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2016

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)
409,850 0.7 % $12.68 $26,370 0.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.58 $9.75 $11.90 $14.74 $18.28
Annual Wage (2) $17,840 $20,270 $24,750 $30,660 $38,030

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 128,960 1.53 $11.81 $24,570
Special Food Services 54,890 8.02 $13.23 $27,520
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 47,920 2.92 $12.34 $25,660
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly 37,630 4.24 $12.68 $26,380
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 31,420 0.58 $14.36 $29,870

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 54,890 8.02 $13.23 $27,520
Rooming and Boarding Houses 730 5.94 $14.83 $30,850
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly 37,630 4.24 $12.68 $26,380
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 47,920 2.92 $12.34 $25,660
Child Day Care Services 18,930 2.20 $11.15 $23,190

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) 2,610 0.13 $20.19 $42,000
Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation 540 1.37 $19.62 $40,800
State Government (OES Designation) 4,700 0.21 $16.14 $33,560
Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing 90 0.06 $16.07 $33,430
Grantmaking and Giving Services 110 0.08 $15.81 $32,880

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 37,150 3.16 1.08 $11.48 $23,880
California 28,680 1.80 0.62 $15.75 $32,750
Pennsylvania 20,480 3.56 1.22 $13.08 $27,210
Ohio 17,730 3.32 1.14 $12.34 $25,670
New York 16,020 1.76 0.60 $15.70 $32,660




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 5,370 7.69 2.64 $11.05 $22,990
Mississippi 7,370 6.60 2.26 $9.44 $19,630
Oklahoma 10,280 6.48 2.22 $9.82 $20,430
South Dakota 2,540 6.07 2.08 $11.92 $24,790
Delaware 2,670 6.05 2.07 $15.11 $31,430




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 960 2.97 1.02 $18.83 $39,170
Connecticut 3,530 2.12 0.73 $16.73 $34,800
Massachusetts 7,970 2.30 0.79 $16.71 $34,760
District of Columbia 1,620 2.30 0.79 $16.51 $34,340
Rhode Island 1,060 2.24 0.77 $16.43 $34,160





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-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 9,370 1.42 0.49 $16.77 $34,880
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 7,830 3.07 1.05 $11.10 $23,100
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 7,260 2.47 0.85 $11.91 $24,770
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 6,860 1.63 0.56 $15.20 $31,610
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division 6,810 1.87 0.64 $13.58 $28,250
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 5,960 2.45 0.84 $12.22 $25,420
St. Louis, MO-IL 4,960 3.69 1.26 $12.04 $25,030
Pittsburgh, PA 4,330 3.82 1.31 $12.81 $26,640
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 4,270 1.71 0.59 $15.90 $33,070
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA NECTA Division 4,150 2.30 0.79 $17.45 $36,290