SOC 35-2015 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Cooks, Short Order — Lafayette
Lafayette, LA · 5 metro areas compared
The median wage for Cooks, Short Order in Lafayette, LA is $24,340 per year, substantially below the national median of $35,880 — a gap of 32.2%.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to decline
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- -5.6%
- Openings per year
- 20,600
- 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 Lafayette, LA.
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, Short Order in Lafayette, LA is $24,340 per year, substantially below the national median of $35,880 — a gap of 32.2%. Half of workers earn between $19,200 and $32,590. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $19,200 and the ninetieth at $36,610.
Within the state, Baton Rouge records the highest median at $33,540. Of the 350 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 337th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $19,200 | −46.5% |
| 25th | $19,200 | −46.5% |
| Median (50th) | $24,340 | −32.2% |
| 75th | $32,590 | −9.2% |
| 90th | $36,610 | +2.0% |
| Mean | $27,220 | −24.1% |
Other metro areas in Louisiana
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baton Rouge | $33,540 | 360 | |
| 2 | Hammond | $31,800 | 70 | |
| 3 | Shreveport | $25,050 | 200 | |
| 4 | New Orleans | $24,720 | 500 | |
| 5 | Monroe | $23,350 | — |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Lafayette run 12.8% below the national average, so the median of $24,340 goes as far as $27,913 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 22.2% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$24,340as reported by BLSLocal price level
87.2US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$27,913US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $24,340 a year, 32.2% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $19,200 to $36,610 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Baton Rouge, at $33,540.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Cooks, Short Order in Lafayette, LA?
The median annual wage is $24,340, or $11.70 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 $35,880, so pay in Lafayette, LA is 32.2% 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 Lafayette, LA earns more than $36,610 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $19,200 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 Baton Rouge, at $33,540 per year.
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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