Pay distribution $23,550 10th $27,540 25th $35,840 75th $39,670 90th
Half of Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in the Corpus Christi metro area earn more than $30,470 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $27,540 and $35,840.
Wage percentiles (BLS OEWS) Wage 10th 25th Median 75th 90th Annual $23,550 $27,540 $30,470 $35,840 $39,670 Hourly $11.32 $13.24 $14.65 $17.23 $19.07
A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.
How this area compares Corpus Christi metro areathis metro area
$30,470 median for Corpus Christi metro area; middle half earns $27,540 to $35,840
$35,360 median for Texas; middle half earns $29,170 to $38,910
$37,450 median for United States; middle half earns $32,440 to $44,800
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
The median here is −14% vs Texas overall and −19% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.
Where this metro sits nationally $20,680 $32,253 $43,827 $55,400 Hammond, LA — $20,680 Alexandria, LA — $21,690 Gadsden, AL — $22,480 Monroe, LA — $22,980 Montgomery, AL — $23,080 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA — $23,480 Guayama, PR — $23,570 Decatur, AL — $23,650 Mayaguez, PR — $23,820 Anniston-Oxford, AL — $23,960 Arecibo, PR — $24,410 Baton Rouge, LA — $24,740 Aguadilla, PR — $26,260 San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR — $26,260 Lafayette, LA — $26,400 Jackson, MS — $26,980 Enid, OK — $27,090 Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL — $27,210 Birmingham, AL — $27,220 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL — $27,270 Laredo, TX — $27,570 Hattiesburg, MS — $27,600 Texarkana, TX-AR — $27,620 Eagle Pass, TX — $27,710 Dothan, AL — $27,860 El Paso, TX — $28,110 Huntsville, AL — $28,110 Ponce, PR — $28,540 Mobile, AL — $28,580 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA — $28,630 Victoria, TX — $28,860 Sumter, SC — $28,880 Parkersburg-Vienna, WV — $29,000 Gulfport-Biloxi, MS — $29,080 Longview, TX — $29,220 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX — $29,300 New Orleans-Metairie, LA — $29,370 Fort Smith, AR-OK — $29,380 Beckley, WV — $29,630 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH — $29,630 Auburn-Opelika, AL — $29,680 Lubbock, TX — $29,700 Valdosta, GA — $29,710 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX — $29,990 Charleston, WV — $30,050 Warner Robins, GA — $30,050 Morristown, TN — $30,080 Owensboro, KY — $30,170 Elizabethtown, KY — $30,260 Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA — $30,410 Albany, GA — $30,430 Johnstown, PA — $30,450 Corpus Christi, TX — $30,470 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR — $30,480 Oklahoma City, OK — $30,540 Tyler, TX — $30,600 Wheeling, WV-OH — $30,600 Tulsa, OK — $30,750 Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH — $30,850 Joplin, MO-KS — $31,070 Macon-Bibb County, GA — $31,090 Rome, GA — $31,150 Johnson City, TN — $31,330 Bowling Green, KY — $31,550 Tuscaloosa, AL — $31,700 Morgantown, WV — $31,770 Jefferson City, MO — $31,840 Abilene, TX — $31,850 Wichita, KS — $31,850 Columbus, GA-AL — $31,940 Hot Springs, AR — $32,140 Cleveland, TN — $32,220 Wichita Falls, TX — $32,400 Lake Charles, LA — $32,460 Jonesboro, AR — $32,720 Amarillo, TX — $32,880 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX — $32,950 Memphis, TN-MS-AR — $33,170 Topeka, KS — $33,200 Terre Haute, IN — $33,300 Chattanooga, TN-GA — $33,410 Ocala, FL — $33,410 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR — $33,430 Brunswick-St. Simons, GA — $33,530 Florence, SC — $33,540 Rocky Mount, NC — $33,560 Flint, MI — $33,570 Pocatello, ID — $33,720 Jacksonville, NC — $33,820 Cape Girardeau, MO-IL — $33,880 Columbia, MO — $33,900 San Angelo, TX — $33,930 Athens-Clarke County, GA — $33,960 St. Joseph, MO-KS — $34,070 Spartanburg, SC — $34,080 Manhattan, KS — $34,100 Idaho Falls, ID — $34,260 Odessa, TX — $34,330 Muncie, IN — $34,370 Waco, TX — $34,410 Springfield, MO — $34,450 Sherman-Denison, TX — $34,480 Youngstown-Warren, OH — $34,510 Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV — $34,570 Rockford, IL — $34,580 Altoona, PA — $34,610 Yuma, AZ — $34,680 Tallahassee, FL — $34,710 Columbia, SC — $34,800 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL — $34,810 Greenville, NC — $34,840 Burlington, NC — $34,860 Twin Falls, ID — $34,880 Chambersburg, PA — $34,910 Killeen-Temple, TX — $34,930 Bay City, MI — $34,950 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC — $34,970 Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI — $34,980 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL — $35,040 Saginaw, MI — $35,060 Jackson, TN — $35,110 Lynchburg, VA — $35,120 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC — $35,130 Knoxville, TN — $35,150 Evansville, IN — $35,180 Kankakee, IL — $35,200 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA — $35,210 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX — $35,250 Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC — $35,270 Paducah, KY-IL — $35,310 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA — $35,320 Winchester, VA-WV — $35,350 Savannah, GA — $35,480 Columbus, IN — $35,490 Canton-Massillon, OH — $35,530 Clarksville, TN-KY — $35,570 Springfield, OH — $35,590 Springfield, IL — $35,600 Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL — $35,610 Greensboro-High Point, NC — $35,610 Erie, PA — $35,620 Grand Island, NE — $35,630 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX — $35,660 Roanoke, VA — $35,670 Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL — $35,680 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA — $35,680 Williamsport, PA — $35,720 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL — $35,740 Gettysburg, PA — $35,770 Great Falls, MT — $35,770 Cheyenne, WY — $35,780 Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ — $35,790 Monroe, MI — $35,800 Lima, OH — $35,820 Sandusky, OH — $35,880 Boise City, ID — $35,890 Mansfield, OH — $35,890 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL — $35,890 Wildwood-The Villages, FL — $35,940 Lansing-East Lansing, MI — $35,970 Peoria, IL — $35,980 Sioux City, IA-NE-SD — $36,030 York-Hanover, PA — $36,030 Wilmington, NC — $36,050 Las Cruces, NM — $36,060 Kansas City, MO-KS — $36,080 Lawrence, KS — $36,080 Michigan City-La Porte, IN — $36,100 Pittsburgh, PA — $36,100 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC — $36,130 Elkhart-Goshen, IN — $36,170 Niles, MI — $36,180 Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA — $36,190 St. Louis, MO-IL — $36,200 Lebanon, PA — $36,230 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL — $36,250 Kokomo, IN — $36,290 Fort Wayne, IN — $36,300 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA — $36,320 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN — $36,350 Gainesville, FL — $36,400 Cedar Rapids, IA — $36,410 Lexington-Fayette, KY — $36,470 Midland, TX — $36,470 Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC — $36,470 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL — $36,480 Jacksonville, FL — $36,490 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI — $36,510 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL — $36,510 Ames, IA — $36,540 Reading, PA — $36,590 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX — $36,670 Iowa City, IA — $36,670 Winston-Salem, NC — $36,670 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH — $36,680 Homosassa Springs, FL — $36,710 Carson City, NV — $36,740 Decatur, IL — $36,750 Omaha, NE-IA — $36,750 Toledo, OH — $36,760 Lincoln, NE — $36,830 Midland, MI — $36,870 Rapid City, SD — $36,870 Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA — $36,880 College Station-Bryan, TX — $36,890 Dubuque, IA — $36,890 Cleveland, OH — $36,930 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL — $36,970 Charleston-North Charleston, SC — $36,990 Elmira, NY — $36,990 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI — $37,010 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA — $37,030 Lancaster, PA — $37,040 Port St. Lucie, FL — $37,070 Akron, OH — $37,080 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA — $37,080 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT — $37,100 State College, PA — $37,100 Logan, UT-ID — $37,110 Richmond, VA — $37,140 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN — $37,180 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL — $37,190 Helena, MT — $37,190 Fayetteville, NC — $37,200 Fond du Lac, WI — $37,200 Punta Gorda, FL — $37,200 Bloomington, IN — $37,230 Ogden, UT — $37,240 Sioux Falls, SD-MN — $37,240 Missoula, MT — $37,270 Farmington, NM — $37,310 Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ — $37,340 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI — $37,360 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX — $37,370 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN — $37,370 Sebring, FL — $37,380 St. George, UT — $37,440 Lawton, OK — $37,450 Raleigh-Cary, NC — $37,460 Sheboygan, WI — $37,470 Lewiston, ID-WA — $37,500 Asheville, NC — $37,550 North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL — $37,620 Tucson, AZ — $37,620 Coeur d'Alene, ID — $37,650 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC — $37,690 Billings, MT — $37,700 Albuquerque, NM — $37,740 Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI — $37,800 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY — $37,830 Harrisonburg, VA — $37,900 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN — $37,910 Bloomington, IL — $37,950 Eau Claire, WI — $37,990 Columbus, OH — $38,100 Appleton, WI — $38,110 Goldsboro, NC — $38,120 Kenosha, WI — $38,150 Wausau, WI — $38,170 Gainesville, GA — $38,220 Casper, WY — $38,230 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN — $38,290 Bismarck, ND — $38,310 Champaign-Urbana, IL — $38,330 Jackson, MI — $38,360 Janesville-Beloit, WI — $38,440 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC — $38,440 Grand Forks, ND-MN — $38,500 Charlottesville, VA — $38,510 Oshkosh-Neenah, WI — $38,530 Pueblo, CO — $38,560 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ — $38,570 Minot, ND — $38,570 Battle Creek, MI — $38,580 Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN — $38,580 Green Bay, WI — $38,640 Rochester, NY — $38,670 Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL — $38,730 Traverse City, MI — $38,780 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD — $38,870 Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI — $38,880 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC — $38,920 Corvallis, OR — $38,950 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC — $38,970 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI — $38,980 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN — $39,050 Colorado Springs, CO — $39,110 Grand Junction, CO — $39,140 Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ — $39,190 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD — $39,310 Santa Fe, NM — $39,370 Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV — $39,560 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO — $39,770 Salt Lake City-Murray, UT — $39,870 Albany, OR — $40,000 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ — $40,120 Glens Falls, NY — $40,190 Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ — $40,240 Ann Arbor, MI — $40,250 Duluth, MN-WI — $40,300 Flagstaff, AZ — $40,380 Mankato, MN — $40,410 Lexington Park, MD — $40,420 Syracuse, NY — $40,450 Binghamton, NY — $40,510 St. Cloud, MN — $40,590 El Centro, CA — $40,980 Fargo, ND-MN — $41,120 Dover, DE — $41,370 Chico, CA — $41,380 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA — $41,470 Utica-Rome, NY — $41,660 Visalia, CA — $41,820 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY — $41,860 Medford, OR — $42,450 Fresno, CA — $42,580 Bangor, ME — $42,700 Greeley, CO — $42,950 Madison, WI — $42,960 Trenton-Princeton, NJ — $42,960 Rochester, MN — $43,160 Reno, NV — $43,270 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY — $43,550 Lewiston-Auburn, ME — $43,730 Eugene-Springfield, OR — $43,820 Naples-Marco Island, FL — $43,890 Bakersfield-Delano, CA — $43,910 Yuba City, CA — $43,940 Stockton-Lodi, CA — $43,950 Waterbury-Shelton, CT — $44,110 Grants Pass, OR — $44,140 Redding, CA — $44,250 Bozeman, MT — $44,260 Merced, CA — $44,410 Salisbury, MD — $44,430 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA — $44,470 Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT — $44,510 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA — $44,570 Kingston, NY — $44,650 Manchester-Nashua, NH — $44,670 Salem, OR — $44,690 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI — $44,830 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV — $44,880 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA — $44,970 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA — $45,020 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO — $45,070 Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA — $45,330 Bend, OR — $45,350 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA — $45,400 Modesto, CA — $45,480 Vineland, NJ — $45,510 Longview-Kelso, WA — $45,640 Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY — $45,740 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA — $45,800 New Haven, CT — $46,000 Walla Walla, WA — $46,170 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA — $46,350 Springfield, MA — $46,440 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT — $46,650 Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA — $46,690 Yakima, WA — $46,730 Urban Honolulu, HI — $46,780 Worcester, MA — $46,780 Kennewick-Richland, WA — $46,820 Salinas, CA — $46,820 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA — $46,850 Ithaca, NY — $46,870 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ — $46,870 Portland-South Portland, ME — $47,000 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA — $47,100 Vallejo, CA — $47,130 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA — $47,260 Hanford-Corcoran, CA — $47,310 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT — $47,380 Burlington-South Burlington, VT — $47,390 Pittsfield, MA — $47,740 Boulder, CO — $48,020 Napa, CA — $48,060 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA — $48,210 Anchorage, AK — $48,290 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH — $48,530 Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA — $48,820 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA — $49,140 Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA — $49,280 Bellingham, WA — $49,320 Fairbanks-College, AK — $49,340 Barnstable Town, MA — $49,720 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA — $51,530 Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA — $51,620 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA — $51,880 Kahului-Wailuku, HI — $55,400 Corpus Christi metro area Each dot is one metro area with a published median — hover any dot for the name and figure. Metros without published estimates are not drawn.
The Corpus Christi metro area has the 339th-highest published median for this occupation among the 391 metro areas where BLS publishes it. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.
Other metro areas in Texas Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for cooks, institution and cafeteria, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.
Corpus Christi metro areathis page
$30,470 median for Corpus Christi metro area; middle half earns $27,540 to $35,840
$37,370 median for Dallas metro area; middle half earns $32,840 to $41,560
$36,890 median for College Station metro area; middle half earns $29,000 to $36,890
$36,670 median for Austin metro area; middle half earns $31,090 to $42,260
$36,470 median for Midland metro area; middle half earns $33,150 to $42,350
$35,660 median for Houston metro area; middle half earns $29,810 to $39,460
$35,250 median for San Antonio metro area; middle half earns $29,840 to $38,580
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
About this estimate These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.
Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology .