Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

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)
396,970 0.7 % $11.65 $24,230 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.07 $9.04 $10.92 $13.62 $16.82
Annual Wage (2) $16,780 $18,790 $22,710 $28,340 $34,980


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 134,970 1.61 $10.97 $22,810
Nursing Care Facilities 48,880 2.93 $11.48 $23,890
Special Food Services 43,520 7.62 $12.08 $25,130
Community Care Facilities for the Elderly 32,430 4.28 $11.64 $24,210
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 31,340 0.60 $13.03 $27,110

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rooming and Boarding Houses 1,040 9.37 $12.07 $25,110
Special Food Services 43,520 7.62 $12.08 $25,130
Community Care Facilities for the Elderly 32,430 4.28 $11.64 $24,210
Nursing Care Facilities 48,880 2.93 $11.48 $23,890
Inland Water Transportation 650 2.63 $13.31 $27,690

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Financial Investment Activities 40 0.01 $19.98 $41,560
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 2,510 0.12 $19.78 $41,140
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (8) (8) $15.91 $33,090
State Government (OES Designation) 5,420 0.24 $15.85 $32,970
Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation 600 1.66 $15.83 $32,920


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 36,530 3.54 1.15 $10.01 $20,830
California 23,180 1.65 0.53 $14.17 $29,470
Ohio 21,750 4.37 1.41 $11.88 $24,710
Pennsylvania 20,060 3.62 1.17 $12.25 $25,480
New York 16,920 2.01 0.65 $14.46 $30,070




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)
Kentucky 11,670 6.73 2.18 $11.08 $23,050
Arkansas 7,630 6.69 2.16 $9.69 $20,150
West Virginia 4,470 6.38 2.06 $9.75 $20,290
Tennessee 15,620 6.00 1.94 $10.00 $20,800
Mississippi 6,410 5.97 1.93 $9.09 $18,900




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hawaii 1,050 1.83 0.59 $17.24 $35,870
Alaska 650 2.06 0.67 $17.01 $35,380
Rhode Island 1,130 2.50 0.81 $16.68 $34,700
Connecticut 4,220 2.63 0.85 $16.36 $34,020
Massachusetts 9,260 2.93 0.95 $14.71 $30,600





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)
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 9,570 3.75 1.21 $10.35 $21,520
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 9,420 1.86 0.60 $15.26 $31,740
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 6,480 1.81 0.58 $12.62 $26,240
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 5,770 3.18 1.03 $13.20 $27,450
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 5,300 2.38 0.77 $10.27 $21,350
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 5,090 2.49 0.80 $10.08 $20,970
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 4,980 1.30 0.42 $13.36 $27,800
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 4,940 2.95 0.95 $14.68 $30,530
St. Louis, MO-IL 4,800 3.78 1.22 $10.66 $22,170
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 4,560 2.66 0.86 $13.87 $28,850




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Cleveland, TN 640 17.78 5.75 $9.30 $19,350
Morristown, TN 600 13.57 4.39 $9.29 $19,320
Dover, DE 550 9.28 3.00 $13.13 $27,310
Lawton, OK 370 8.84 2.86 $10.50 $21,830
Fort Smith, AR-OK 920 8.14 2.63 $9.05 $18,810
Hinesville-Fort Stewart, GA 140 8.01 2.59 $11.38 $23,670
Jonesboro, AR 380 7.92 2.56 $9.39 $19,530
Columbus, GA-AL 860 7.66 2.47 $10.35 $21,530
Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 1,390 7.39 2.39 $8.89 $18,490
Niles-Benton Harbor, MI 420 7.35 2.38 $12.57 $26,140




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Haven, CT 690 2.60 0.84 $17.96 $37,350
Hanford-Corcoran, CA 160 4.34 1.40 $17.86 $37,150
Danbury, CT 90 1.34 0.43 $17.62 $36,650
Madera-Chowchilla, CA 100 2.64 0.85 $17.38 $36,140
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 800 1.95 0.63 $17.11 $35,580
Salinas, CA 390 2.55 0.83 $16.71 $34,760
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 1,380 2.50 0.81 $16.66 $34,660
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 1,390 1.44 0.47 $16.66 $34,650
Honolulu, HI 770 1.81 0.58 $16.56 $34,440
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 300 2.57 0.83 $16.24 $33,790

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 3,090 8.13 2.63 $9.88 $20,550
Western Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 1,790 13.75 4.44 $9.40 $19,550
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 1,580 9.60 3.10 $10.16 $21,130
Northwestern Texas nonmetropolitan area 1,520 6.16 1.99 $9.08 $18,880
North Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 1,450 12.87 4.16 $9.22 $19,190

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Western Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 1,790 13.75 4.44 $9.40 $19,550
North Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 1,450 12.87 4.16 $9.22 $19,190
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 1,310 11.29 3.65 $9.75 $20,270
South Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 1,390 11.17 3.61 $9.96 $20,730
Central South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 340 10.70 3.46 $10.83 $22,520

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hawaii / Maui / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 280 1.87 0.61 $19.09 $39,710
Southeast Alaska nonmetropolitan area 100 2.76 0.89 $18.77 $39,040
Railbelt / Southwest Alaska nonmetropolitan area 330 4.55 1.47 $16.82 $34,990
Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 160 4.02 1.30 $16.74 $34,810
Central Colorado nonmetropolitan area 160 8.35 2.70 $16.55 $34,410


About May 2011 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. 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) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include 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.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012