Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

35-2012 Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria

Occupational Description:
Prepare and cook large quantities of food for institutions, such as schools, hospitals, or cafeterias.

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
First Quarter 2026

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Minnesota	7,890	347	$21.22/hr	$17.51/hr	$18.65/hr	$21.43/hr	$22.97/hr	$25.71/hr

Leading Industries for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Manufacturing	N/A	N/A
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	90	$19.29/hr
Financial Activities	N/A	N/A
Professional and Business Services	110	$22.03/hr
Education and Health Services	5,860	$21.68/hr
Leisure and Hospitality	1,340	$19.13/hr
Other Services	100	$19.66/hr
Public Administration	380	$20.51/hr

Other Regional Data for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	150	$19.92/hr	N/A
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	200	$18.98/hr	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	210	$20.72/hr	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	300	$20.01/hr	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	310	$19.25/hr	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	330	$21.28/hr	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	450	$20.27/hr	N/A
Southwest Balance of State	490	$19.66/hr	N/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA	530	$19.86/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	620	$20.51/hr	3.4%
Southeast Balance of State	670	$19.01/hr	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	710	$19.16/hr	2.7%
Northwest Balance of State	750	$19.71/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	830	$19.16/hr	4.5%
Central Minnesota	860	$20.34/hr	4.3%
Northwest Minnesota	880	$19.71/hr	2.8%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	3,900	$22.13/hr	4.5%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	4,490	$22.10/hr	N/A
Minnesota	7,890	$21.43/hr	4.1%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Cooks, Restaurant	26,080	$19.02/hr	12.1%
Cooks, Short Order	870	$15.85/hr	6.0%
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers	20,760	$22.32/hr	7.2%
Dietetic Technicians	170	$23.53/hr	4.5%

Task for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria

Compile and maintain records of food use and expenditures.
Cook foodstuffs according to menus, special dietary or nutritional restrictions, or numbers of portions to be served.
Rotate and store food supplies.
Monitor menus and spending to ensure that meals are prepared economically.
Clean, cut, and cook meat, fish, or poultry.
Direct activities of one or more workers who assist in preparing and serving meals.
Monitor use of government food commodities to ensure that proper procedures are followed.
Apportion and serve food to facility residents, employees, or patrons.
Clean and inspect galley equipment, kitchen appliances, and work areas to ensure cleanliness and functional operation.
Plan menus that are varied, nutritionally balanced, and appetizing, taking advantage of foods in season and local availability.