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 2025

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Southwest Minnesota	680	41	$19.46/hr	$15.51/hr	$17.90/hr	$18.96/hr	$21.48/hr	$22.69/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	N/A	N/A
Financial Activities	N/A	N/A
Professional and Business Services	20	$20.92/hr
Education and Health Services	5,870	$20.40/hr
Leisure and Hospitality	1,350	$20.90/hr
Other Services	120	$20.96/hr
Public Administration	270	$22.64/hr

Other Regional Data for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	170	$19.17/hr	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	170	$19.18/hr	N/A
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	200	$18.83/hr	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	270	$19.22/hr	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	280	$18.19/hr	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	330	$19.42/hr	N/A
Southwest Balance of State	430	$19.63/hr	N/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA	470	$18.83/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	530	$19.12/hr	3.4%
Fargo ND-MN MSA	550	$19.46/hr	N/A
Southeast Balance of State	550	$18.67/hr	N/A
Northwest Balance of State	660	$19.24/hr	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	680	$18.96/hr	2.7%
Southeast Minnesota	730	$19.04/hr	4.5%
Northwest Minnesota	790	$19.18/hr	2.8%
Central Minnesota	800	$19.83/hr	4.3%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	4,050	$21.12/hr	4.5%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	4,620	$21.12/hr	N/A
Minnesota	7,650	$20.62/hr	4.1%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Cooks, Restaurant	26,900	$18.69/hr	12.1%
Cooks, Short Order	1,260	$14.31/hr	6.0%
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers	19,670	$22.17/hr	7.2%
Dietetic Technicians	170	$22.14/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.