Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria · SOC 35-2012
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria Salary in the South Carolina
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025South Carolina
Figures describe the state of South Carolina as a whole.
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in the South Carolina earned a median of $34,960 per year ($16.81 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $21,890 at the 10th percentile to $42,680 at the 90th. BLS estimates 7,850 people work in this occupation in the area.
Pay distribution
Half of Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in the South Carolina earn more than $34,960 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $29,130 and $37,250.
| Wage | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $21,890 | $29,130 | $34,960 | $37,250 | $42,680 |
| Hourly | $10.52 | $14.01 | $16.81 | $17.91 | $20.52 |
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
- South Carolina$34,960 median for South Carolina; middle half earns $29,130 to $37,250
- United Statesnational$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 −7% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.
Metro areas in South Carolina
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.
- South Carolinathis page$34,960 median for South Carolina; middle half earns $29,130 to $37,250
- $38,920 median for Hilton Head Island metro area; middle half earns $35,730 to $44,360
- $36,990 median for Charleston metro area; middle half earns $33,960 to $40,650
- $36,130 median for Myrtle Beach metro area; middle half earns $30,570 to $37,250
- $35,270 median for Greenville metro area; middle half earns $31,370 to $36,060
- $34,800 median for Columbia metro area; middle half earns $28,830 to $37,790
- $34,080 median for Spartanburg metro area; middle half earns $29,050 to $36,040
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
Keep exploring
Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:
Highest-paying metro areas for cooks, institution and cafeterias · Highest-paying occupations in South Carolina
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.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.