Average Cooks, All Other Salary in the United States
The national median salary for Cooks, All Other is $37,690 per year. The middle 50% earn between $32,150 and $43,680, with 19,350 workers employed nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates . Data covers 33 states and 63 metro areas.
Pay distribution
Here is how Cooks, All Other pay is distributed across workers nationally. The 10th percentile typically reflects entry-level or early-career pay, the median is the midpoint, and the 90th percentile represents the top earners in the field.
- 10th
- $27,040
- 25th
- $32,150
- Median
- $37,690
- 75th
- $43,680
- 90th
- $51,140
All values are percentiles of annual wages.
This is a lower-wage occupation relative to the US labor market. Pay is below the national median for all workers.
The spread between entry-level and top-end pay is typical for US occupations. Experience and specialization matter, but the range is not unusually wide.
Job outlook
BLS projects employment for cooks, all other from 2024 to 2034. Growth is above the US average of about 4% across all occupations. This is an expanding field.
- Projected growth
- +5.5%
- 1,300 net jobs over the projection period.
- Annual openings
- 3,700
- Includes growth plus replacements for workers who leave. Annual openings are high relative to the workforce size, reflecting meaningful turnover and new-hire volume.
- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
There are no formal educational requirements for entry. Much of the training happens through experience on the job.
Where Cooks, All Other earn the most
Location matters a lot. The gap between top-paying and bottom-paying states is large, so where cooks, all other work can reshape their total compensation. Right now, the top-paying state is Massachusetts at $69,570, about 84.6% above the national median. At the metro level, Burlington-South Burlington, VT leads with a median of $57,320.
Top-paying states
| State | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $69,570 | N/A |
| Washington | $52,510 | 140 |
| Nevada | $51,220 | 320 |
| New Jersey | $46,080 | 280 |
| Indiana | $44,290 | 30 |
| North Dakota | $44,190 | 60 |
| Missouri | $43,990 | 70 |
| Colorado | $43,490 | 100 |
Top-paying metros
| Metro area | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | $57,320 | 80 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $53,910 | 80 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | $51,220 | 290 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $49,780 | 40 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $47,840 | 180 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $46,960 | 400 |
| Syracuse, NY | $45,970 | 30 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $44,740 | N/A |
Compare two locations side by side
Pick two states or metros to see cooks, all other pay in each, along with a cost-of-living adjusted view.
Salary trend and related occupations
Between 2019 and 2025, the national median salary for Cooks, All Other rose from $30,760 to $37,690, a gain of +22.5% in nominal dollars.
Over the same period, US consumer prices rose by +25.9%. Just to keep pace with inflation, the 2019 median of $30,760 would need to be worth $38,735 in 2025 dollars.
The actual 2025 median of $37,690 is −$1,045 below that inflation-adjusted benchmark, a real change of -2.7% in purchasing power.
Adjusted for inflation, pay has lost ground. Nominal growth of 22.5% has not kept up with rising prices.
- Nominal change
- +22.5%
- 2019–2025
- Cumulative inflation
- +25.9%
- US CPI, 2019–2025
- Real change
- -2.7%
- After adjusting for inflation
Median salary over time
Cooks, All Other median pay by year, going back through the available BLS releases.
- 2025
- $37,690
- 2024
- $36,210
- 2023
- $35,920
- 2022
- $33,390
- 2021
- $30,720
- 2020
- $30,460
- 2019
- $30,760
BLS did not publish a median for 2000–2018, so those years are omitted.
Related occupations
Other occupations in the same field, with median pay for comparison.
- Cooks, Institution And Cafeteria
- $37,450
- Cooks, Restaurant
- $37,390
- Cooks, Short Order
- $35,880
- Food Preparation Workers
- $35,320
- Cooks, Fast Food
- $30,890
- Cooks, Private Household
- $47,940
- Food Servers, Nonrestaurant
- $35,360
Common salary questions for Cooks, All Other
What does the median salary mean? +
The median is the midpoint of all wages. Half of Cooks, All Other workers earn more and half earn less. It is a better measure of typical pay than the average, which can be skewed by very high or very low earners.
Why does pay vary so much by location? +
Local labor markets, cost of living, industry concentration, and employer competition all affect wages. High-cost metros like San Francisco and New York often pay more in nominal terms, though some of that premium is offset by higher living costs.
How current is this salary data? +
This page uses the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. BLS publishes OEWS data once per year, typically in the spring for the previous May reference period.
What do the percentile ranges tell me? +
The 10th and 90th percentiles show the full pay band. The 25th to 75th percentile range, the middle 50%, is where most workers fall. A wide spread usually means experience, specialization, or location matter a lot for this occupation.