SOC 35-2012 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria — St. Louis
St. Louis, MO-IL · 7 metro areas compared
The median wage for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in St.
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 St. Louis, MO-IL.
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 St. Louis, MO is $36,200 per year, close to the national median of $37,450 for the same occupation. Pay ranges from under $29,690 at the tenth percentile to more than $45,020 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $31,780 to $39,210.
The area has 5,410 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 4.0 of every thousand jobs. Kansas City leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $36,080. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 603rd of 652 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $29,690 | −20.7% |
| 25th | $31,780 | −15.1% |
| Median (50th) | $36,200 | −3.3% |
| 75th | $39,210 | +4.7% |
| 90th | $45,020 | +20.2% |
| Mean | $37,000 | −1.2% |
Other metro areas in Missouri
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas City | $36,080 | 4,470 | |
| 2 | Springfield | $34,450 | 940 | |
| 3 | St. Joseph | $34,070 | 210 | |
| 4 | Columbia | $33,900 | 550 | |
| 5 | Cape Girardeau | $33,880 | 200 | |
| 6 | Jefferson City | $31,840 | 340 | |
| 7 | Joplin | $31,070 | 350 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in St. Louis run 4.9% below the national average, so the median of $36,200 goes as far as $38,065 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 1.6% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$36,200as reported by BLSLocal price level
95.1US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$38,065US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $36,200 a year, 3.3% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $29,690 to $45,020 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 5,410 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Kansas City, at $36,080.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in St. Louis, MO?
The median annual wage is $36,200, or $17.40 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 St. Louis, MO is 3.3% 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 St. Louis, MO earns more than $45,020 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $29,690 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 Kansas City, at $36,080 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 5,410 jobs in this occupation in St. Louis, MO. 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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