SOC 35-2012 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria — Dallas
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX · 10 metro areas compared
The median wage for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in Dallas, TX is $37,370 per year, close to the national median of $37,450 for the same occupation.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow about as fast as average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +2.0%
- Openings per year
- 69,700
- Typical entry-level education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
The median wage for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in Dallas, TX is $37,370 per year, close to the national median of $37,450 for the same occupation. Half of workers earn between $32,840 and $41,560. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $28,440 and the ninetieth at $46,480.
The area has 6,620 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 1.6 of every thousand jobs. Within the state, College Station records the highest median at $36,890. Of the 713 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 626th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $28,440 | −24.1% |
| 25th | $32,840 | −12.3% |
| Median (50th) | $37,370 | −0.2% |
| 75th | $41,560 | +11.0% |
| 90th | $46,480 | +24.1% |
| Mean | $37,710 | +0.7% |
Other metro areas in Texas
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College Station | $36,890 | 460 | |
| 2 | Austin | $36,670 | 2,210 | |
| 3 | Midland | $36,470 | 130 | |
| 4 | Houston | $35,660 | 4,890 | |
| 5 | San Antonio | $35,250 | 2,290 | |
| 6 | Killeen | $34,930 | 300 | |
| 7 | Sherman | $34,480 | 130 | |
| 8 | Waco | $34,410 | 280 | |
| 9 | Odessa | $34,330 | 90 | |
| 10 | San Angelo | $33,930 | 130 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Dallas run 3.1% above the national average, so the median of $37,370 buys what $36,246 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 3.2% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$37,370as reported by BLSLocal price level
103.1US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$36,246US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $37,370 a year, 0.2% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $28,440 to $46,480 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 6,620 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is College Station, at $36,890.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in Dallas, TX?
The median annual wage is $37,370, or $17.96 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $37,450, so pay in Dallas, TX is 0.2% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Dallas, TX earns more than $46,480 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $28,440 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in College Station, at $36,890 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 6,620 jobs in this occupation in Dallas, TX. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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