Jetted FoxCareers · Kitchens & cooking
Cooks, institution and cafeteria
Cooks large batches of meals for schools, hospitals, offices, prisons or care homes. No college degree needed.
Start now · nothing needed
Starting pay ranges from about $10.40/hr in Alabama to $22/hr in Washington.
Pay in every state
| State | Start | 2 years |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $9.63–10.40/hr | $13.04/hr |
| Alaska | $18.27–21.99/hr | $23.36/hr |
| Arizona | $16.58–17.66/hr | $19.07/hr |
| Arkansas | $12.41–13.61/hr | $14.54/hr |
| California | $18.06–19.35/hr | $22.31/hr |
| Colorado | $17.45–18.49/hr | $20.43/hr |
| Connecticut | $18.45–19.21/hr | $22.17/hr |
| Delaware | $17.24–19.05/hr | $21.19/hr |
| Florida | $15.22–16.58/hr | $17.43/hr |
| Georgia | $13.57–14.53/hr | $16.87/hr |
| Hawaii | $18.39–19.80/hr | $22.97/hr |
| Idaho | $13.62–14.78/hr | $17.11/hr |
| Illinois | $15–16.62/hr | $18/hr |
| Indiana | $14.08–14.94/hr | $17.30/hr |
| Iowa | $13.48–14.89/hr | $17.22/hr |
| Kansas | $12.23–13.86/hr | $15.36/hr |
| Kentucky | $12.30–13.89/hr | $15.17/hr |
| Louisiana | $9.26–10.72/hr | $12.26/hr |
| Maine | $17.34–18.33/hr | $20.91/hr |
| Maryland | $17.08–17.96/hr | $19.89/hr |
| Massachusetts | $18.87–21.67/hr | $22.98/hr |
| Michigan | $14.33–16.04/hr | $17.72/hr |
| Minnesota | $17.08–18.19/hr | $20.90/hr |
| Mississippi | $9.98–11.11/hr | $13.17/hr |
| Missouri | $13.75–14.35/hr | $16.78/hr |
| Montana | $14.66–16.12/hr | $17.86/hr |
| Nebraska | $14.37–16.36/hr | $17.50/hr |
| Nevada | $15.40–17.35/hr | $18.96/hr |
| New Hampshire | $17.21–19.15/hr | $21.81/hr |
| New Jersey | $17.07–18.07/hr | $21.40/hr |
| New Mexico | $13.91–15.54/hr | $17.54/hr |
| New York | $17.44–18.63/hr | $22.06/hr |
| North Carolina | $13.48–15.04/hr | $17.38/hr |
| North Dakota | $15.05–17.47/hr | $18.99/hr |
| Ohio | $14.20–15.91/hr | $17.65/hr |
| Oklahoma | $10.39–12/hr | $14.07/hr |
| Oregon | $17.64–18.45/hr | $21.40/hr |
| Pennsylvania | $13.65–14.98/hr | $17.57/hr |
| Rhode Island | $18.22–19.40/hr | $22.39/hr |
| South Carolina | $10.52–14.01/hr | $16.81/hr |
| South Dakota | $14.49–15.48/hr | $17.66/hr |
| Tennessee | $13.38–14.49/hr | $17.10/hr |
| Texas | $11.91–14.02/hr | $17/hr |
| Utah | $13.88–17.14/hr | $18.36/hr |
| Vermont | $18.33–20.16/hr | $22.29/hr |
| Virginia | $14.43–16.79/hr | $18.22/hr |
| Washington | $19.15–22/hr | $23.88/hr |
| Washington, DC | $18.63–19.22/hr | $21.85/hr |
| West Virginia | $11.45–13.34/hr | $14.30/hr |
| Wisconsin | $15.44–17.33/hr | $18.58/hr |
| Wyoming | $14–15.37/hr | $17.76/hr |
Estimates, May 2025. Start = what the lowest-paid 10–25% earn; 2 years = the median. US Bureau of Labor Statistics
What it takes
Before you're hired
Once you're hired
A normal day
You arrive early and cook big pans of food from a set menu and recipe, often for hundreds of people. Meals go out at fixed times, then you clean, store leftovers and prep for the next day. You work with a small kitchen team under a food service manager.
The good parts
Hours are steadier than restaurants, and school kitchens often have weekends and summers off. Hospital, school and government jobs often come with benefits. Little experience is needed to get hired.
The hard parts
Early starts are common, often before 6 a.m. The menu is fixed, so there is little creative cooking. Lifting full pans and standing all shift wears on your back and feet.
Where it leads
experienced cooks move up to lead cook, kitchen supervisor and food service manager, often with steady public-sector benefits.
Quick answers
Do cooks, institution and cafeteria need a college degree?
No. You can start now: nothing needed.
How long is the training for cooks, institution and cafeteria?
2–4 weeks of paid training at work.
How much do cooks, institution and cafeteria make?
About $13.69–15.60 an hour to start and $18.01 an hour at the median across the US (May 2025).
Is it a fit for you?
Answer a few questions and see your paths. Free, about 7 minutes.
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Last updated October 13, 2026. Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Jobs: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Training, costs and requirements: Jetted Fox research (estimates). This site includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Jetted Fox has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Facts, not advice.