Pay by state · 54 areas
Cook, Institution and Cafeteria Salary by State (2026)
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria earn the most in Washington at $49,670 a year and the least in Louisiana at $25,490 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $37,450. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $49,670Washington
- National median
- $37,450BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $25,490Louisiana
- Areas reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for cooks, institution and cafeteria
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, Alaska comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1Washington$49,670
- 2Alaska$48,580
- 3Massachusetts$47,790
- 4Hawaii$47,770
- 5Rhode Island$46,570
Lowest median pay
- 1Louisiana$25,490
- 2Alabama$27,120
- 3Mississippi$27,390
- 4Oklahoma$29,270
- 5West Virginia$29,740
All states
Cook, Institution and Cafeteria salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of cooks, institution and cafeteria OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WAWashington | $49,670 | $45,760 | $58,220 | 9,780 | $46,415 |
| 2 | AKAlaska | $48,580 | $45,740 | $53,470 | 1,430 | $47,460 |
| 3 | MAMassachusetts | $47,790 | $45,080 | $51,650 | 7,430 | $45,188 |
| 4 | HIHawaii | $47,770 | $41,180 | $59,200 | 1,570 | $43,447 |
| 5 | RIRhode Island | $46,570 | $40,360 | $48,550 | 1,190 | $45,532 |
| 6 | CACalifornia | $46,390 | $40,240 | $52,060 | 31,660 | $41,898 |
| 7 | VTVermont | $46,370 | $41,920 | $48,620 | 1,330 | $47,337 |
| 8 | CTConnecticut | $46,120 | $39,960 | $48,990 | 4,500 | $44,513 |
| 9 | NYNew York | $45,880 | $38,750 | $51,530 | 17,670 | $42,513 |
| 10 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $45,450 | $39,980 | $46,950 | 1,500 | $41,355 |
| 11 | NHNew Hampshire | $45,370 | $39,820 | $49,500 | 1,720 | $43,556 |
| 12 | NJNew Jersey | $44,520 | $37,590 | $48,090 | 7,490 | $40,917 |
| 13 | OROregon | $44,520 | $38,370 | $49,280 | 7,150 | $43,072 |
| 14 | DEDelaware | $44,080 | $39,620 | $46,050 | 2,680 | $44,165 |
| 15 | MEMaine | $43,490 | $38,130 | $47,520 | 1,790 | $44,812 |
| 16 | MNMinnesota | $43,460 | $37,840 | $46,590 | 7,890 | $44,068 |
| 17 | COColorado | $42,500 | $38,450 | $47,920 | 9,440 | $41,241 |
| 18 | MDMaryland | $41,380 | $37,360 | $46,700 | 3,370 | $39,425 |
| 19 | AZArizona | $39,660 | $36,730 | $45,950 | 7,170 | $39,393 |
| 20 | NDNorth Dakota | $39,490 | $36,330 | $46,340 | 1,820 | $44,391 |
| 21 | NVNevada | $39,430 | $36,080 | $46,440 | 1,650 | $39,438 |
| 22 | WIWisconsin | $38,650 | $36,040 | $44,300 | 9,890 | $41,076 |
| 23 | UTUtah | $38,200 | $35,640 | $45,480 | 5,610 | $38,639 |
| 24 | VAVirginia | $37,890 | $34,920 | $44,460 | 11,170 | $37,476 |
| 25 | ILIllinois | $37,440 | $34,560 | $43,280 | 22,840 | $37,456 |
| 26 | MTMontana | $37,150 | $33,540 | $42,900 | 2,290 | $39,252 |
| 27 | WYWyoming | $36,940 | $31,960 | $39,900 | 1,570 | $39,853 |
| 28 | MIMichigan | $36,870 | $33,360 | $39,660 | 13,500 | $38,320 |
| 29 | SDSouth Dakota | $36,730 | $32,200 | $40,980 | 2,120 | $41,463 |
| 30 | OHOhio | $36,720 | $33,090 | $39,310 | 23,440 | $39,580 |
| 31 | PAPennsylvania | $36,540 | $31,160 | $41,020 | 24,490 | $37,449 |
| 32 | NMNew Mexico | $36,470 | $32,330 | $39,700 | 3,160 | $39,550 |
| 33 | NENebraska | $36,390 | $34,040 | $39,370 | 4,410 | $40,387 |
| 34 | FLFlorida | $36,250 | $34,480 | $39,840 | 25,100 | $35,053 |
| 35 | NCNorth Carolina | $36,140 | $31,290 | $39,610 | 11,170 | $38,314 |
| 36 | INIndiana | $35,980 | $31,080 | $38,480 | 11,130 | $38,552 |
| 37 | IAIowa | $35,810 | $30,970 | $37,920 | 8,860 | $40,804 |
| 38 | IDIdaho | $35,600 | $30,730 | $39,010 | 3,650 | $37,280 |
| 39 | TNTennessee | $35,570 | $30,150 | $38,860 | 10,680 | $38,718 |
| 40 | GUGuam | $35,540 | $27,430 | $36,500 | 100 | N/A |
| 41 | TXTexas | $35,360 | $29,170 | $38,910 | 24,740 | $36,432 |
| 42 | GAGeorgia | $35,090 | $30,220 | $38,250 | 8,220 | $36,441 |
| 43 | SCSouth Carolina | $34,960 | $29,130 | $37,250 | 7,850 | $37,291 |
| 44 | MOMissouri | $34,900 | $29,850 | $38,000 | 13,130 | $38,429 |
| 45 | KSKansas | $31,950 | $28,840 | $36,030 | 7,570 | $35,473 |
| 46 | KYKentucky | $31,550 | $28,880 | $37,370 | 11,540 | $34,994 |
| 47 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $30,440 | $26,440 | $30,970 | 110 | N/A |
| 48 | ARArkansas | $30,240 | $28,300 | $35,300 | 6,530 | $34,784 |
| 49 | WVWest Virginia | $29,740 | $27,740 | $35,680 | 4,420 | $33,230 |
| 50 | OKOklahoma | $29,270 | $24,960 | $35,160 | 10,790 | $33,321 |
| 51 | MSMississippi | $27,390 | $23,100 | $29,740 | 6,420 | $31,500 |
| 52 | ALAlabama | $27,120 | $21,630 | $33,300 | 8,780 | $30,533 |
| 53 | PRPuerto Rico | $26,260 | $22,290 | $29,250 | 7,000 | N/A |
| 54 | LALouisiana | $25,490 | $22,290 | $30,410 | 5,740 | $28,898 |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For cooks, institution and cafeteria, that changes the ranking: Washington leads on raw pay at $49,670, while Alaska leads once prices are taken into account at $47,460.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Cook, Institution and Cafeteria pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays cooks, institution and cafeteria the most?
Washington reports the highest median wage for cooks, institution and cafeteria at $49,670 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Alaska ($48,580) and Massachusetts ($47,790).
Which state pays cooks, institution and cafeteria the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Louisiana reports the lowest median for cooks, institution and cafeteria at $25,490 a year, $24,180 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, Guam reports $35,540, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $30,440 and Puerto Rico reports $26,260.
Is the highest-paying state the best for cooks, institution and cafeteria after cost of living?
Not on this data. Washington pays the most on paper ($49,670) but ranks 3rd of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($46,415). Alaska leads after that adjustment at $47,460, from a raw median of $48,580. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.