Explore Jobs
Find Specific Jobs
Explore Careers
Explore Professions
Best Companies
Explore Companies
Job outlook for school cafeteria cooks in the United States
School cafeteria cook job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected school cafeteria cook job growth rate is 16% from 2018-2028.
About 419,300 new jobs for school cafeteria cooks are projected over the next decade.
School cafeteria cook salaries have increased 16% for school cafeteria cooks in the last 5 years.
There are over 5,385 school cafeteria cooks currently employed in the United States.
There are 85,379 active school cafeteria cook job openings in the US.
The average school cafeteria cook salary is $33,367.
Are school cafeteria cook jobs in demand?
Yes, school cafeteria cook jobs are in demand. School cafeteria cook demand is projected to grow 16% from 2018 to 2028.
School Cafeteria Cook job and salary trends over time
Compare the number of school cafeteria cook jobs and the average school cafeteria cook salary over time.
School Cafeteria Cook jobs over time
School Cafeteria Cook job growth rate over time
Year  | # Of Jobs | % Of Population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 5,385 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 5,308 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 5,517 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 5,487 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 5,539 | 0.00% |
Average school cafeteria cook salary over time
School Cafeteria Cook salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $33,367 | $16.04 | +3.2% |
| 2024 | $32,319 | $15.54 | +3.3% |
| 2023 | $31,282 | $15.04 | +3.9% |
| 2022 | $30,118 | $14.48 | +4.5% |
| 2021 | $28,825 | $13.86 | +3.3% |
School Cafeteria Cook jobs by state
The map below shows you the number of school cafeteria cook job openings in each state. The darker areas on the map show where school cafeteria cooks earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Average Salary: Job Openings:
Most common states for school cafeteria cooks
| Rank | State | Population | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 256 | 24% |
| 2 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,161 | 21% |
| 3 | Alaska | 739,795 | 155 | 21% |
| 4 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 642 | 20% |
| 5 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 424 | 20% |
| 6 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 271 | 20% |
| 7 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 549 | 19% |
| 8 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 662 | 18% |
| 9 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 307 | 18% |
| 10 | Delaware | 961,939 | 176 | 18% |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 2,215 | 17% |
| 12 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 1,055 | 17% |
| 13 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,039 | 17% |
| 14 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 694 | 17% |
| 15 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 674 | 17% |
| 16 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 523 | 17% |
| 17 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 180 | 17% |
| 18 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 125 | 17% |
| 19 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 117 | 17% |
| 20 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 98 | 17% |
Most common cities for school cafeteria cooks
| Rank | City | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilkes-Barre | 2 | 5% | $36,831 |
| 2 | Auburn | 2 | 3% | $44,054 |
| 3 | Alpharetta | 1 | 2% | $29,421 |
| 4 | Mobile | 2 | 1% | $29,946 |
| 5 | Ann Arbor | 1 | 1% | $33,429 |
| 6 | Concord | 1 | 1% | $30,649 |
| 7 | Gaithersburg | 1 | 1% | $40,308 |
| 8 | Philadelphia | 3 | 0% | $36,598 |
| 9 | Jacksonville | 2 | 0% | $24,210 |
| 10 | Minneapolis | 2 | 0% | $33,203 |
| 11 | Aurora | 1 | 0% | $31,796 |
| 12 | Chula Vista | 1 | 0% | $40,187 |
| 13 | Denver | 1 | 0% | $31,813 |
| 14 | Detroit | 1 | 0% | $33,806 |
| 15 | Fort Worth | 1 | 0% | $25,918 |