Occupational Employment and Wages, 2002

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
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area 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)
416,710 0.8 % $9.23 $19,190 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $6.10 $7.06 $8.72 $10.83 $13.34
Annual Wage (2) $12,700 $14,690 $18,140 $22,520 $27,750

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Elementary and secondary schools 175,710 $8.45 $17,570 1 69
Nursing care facilities 46,860 $9.37 $19,490 2 49
General medical and surgical hospitals 30,420 $10.33 $21,490 3 28
Special food services 27,530 $10.21 $21,230 4 29
Community care facilities for the elderly 20,680 $9.43 $19,610 5 47

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Federal government (OES designation) 2,660 $15.63 $32,510 16 1
Inland water transportation 200 $14.71 $30,600 47 2
Management and technical consulting services 170 $13.90 $28,910 49 3
Motion picture and video industries (6) $13.63 $28,350 (6) 4
State government (OES designation) 5,760 $13.33 $27,720 12 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Arkansas 7,950 $7.29 $15,170 0.710% 572
Mississippi 7,460 $7.23 $15,050 0.686% 589
Louisiana 12,490 $6.88 $14,310 0.681% 625
Kentucky 11,020 $8.31 $17,290 0.641% 558
Kansas 8,250 $8.41 $17,480 0.635% 567

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Alaska 1,070 $15.06 $31,330 0.373% 312
District of Columbia 980 $13.31 $27,680 0.165% 333
Rhode Island 830 $12.83 $26,680 0.176% 367
Connecticut 4,620 $12.79 $26,600 0.281% 474
Hawaii 1,320 $12.75 $26,530 0.240% 367

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Killeen-Temple, TX MSA 1,070 $7.82 $16,270 1.068%
Clarksville-Hopkinsville, TN-KY MSA 550 $7.82 $16,260 0.842%
Monroe, LA MSA 580 $6.71 $13,960 0.805%
Gadsden, AL MSA 280 $7.05 $14,650 0.765%
Biloxi-Gulfport-Pascagoula, MS MSA 1,120 $7.59 $15,780 0.761%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
New Haven-Meriden, CT PMSA 630 $14.44 $30,040 0.250%
San Francisco, CA PMSA 1,470 $14.10 $29,320 0.147%
Bridgeport, CT PMSA 570 $13.40 $27,880 0.310%
Waterbury, CT PMSA 320 $13.39 $27,860 0.375%
Anchorage, AK MSA 200 $13.24 $27,530 0.146%

About 2002 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. 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) Data for detailed occupations does not sum to the totals because the totals include data for 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 mean 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.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations

2002 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download 2002 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: November 26, 2003