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Best states for a cafeteria cook
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for cafeteria cooks? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for cafeteria cook jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.Our research shows that Mississippi is the best state in the country for cafeteria cooks.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for cafeteria cooks. Mississippi is the best state for cafeteria cooks, where the median salary is $38,104.We found that the Midwest is best for cafeteria cooks, and the West is the worst. Falmouth, MA is the best city in the country for cafeteria cook jobs, where as Mississippi is the best state in the country.
10 best states for cafeteria cooks in 2026
1. Mississippi
Total cafeteria cook jobs: 410 Average annual salary: $38,104 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Location Quotient: 1.36
2. Utah
Total cafeteria cook jobs: 431 Average annual salary: $41,197 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Location Quotient: 0.95
3. Idaho
Total cafeteria cook jobs: 236 Average annual salary: $36,499 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Location Quotient: 1.01
4. Alaska
Total cafeteria cook jobs: 111 Average annual salary: $37,454 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
5. North Dakota
Total cafeteria cook jobs: 107 Average annual salary: $38,937 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Location Quotient: 0.81
6. Arizona
Total cafeteria cook jobs: 1,085 Average annual salary: $33,721 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Location Quotient: 1.3
7. Nebraska
Total cafeteria cook jobs: 254 Average annual salary: $38,402 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Location Quotient: 0.8
8. Nevada
Total cafeteria cook jobs: 287 Average annual salary: $34,328 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
9. Massachusetts
Total cafeteria cook jobs: 848 Average annual salary: $37,186 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Location Quotient: 0.65
10. California
Total cafeteria cook jobs: 3,539 Average annual salary: $37,375 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Location Quotient: 0.85
Cafeteria cook jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a cafeteria cook
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a cafeteria cook
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi | $38,104 | $32,000 | 2,984,100 | 410 |
| 2 | Utah | $41,197 | $34,000 | 3,101,833 | 431 |
| 3 | Idaho | $36,499 | $30,000 | 1,716,943 | 236 |
| 4 | Alaska | $37,454 | $33,000 | 739,795 | 111 |
| 5 | North Dakota | $38,937 | $33,000 | 755,393 | 107 |
| 6 | Arizona | $33,721 | $28,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,085 |
| 7 | Nebraska | $38,402 | $32,000 | 1,920,076 | 254 |
| 8 | Nevada | $34,328 | $28,000 | 2,998,039 | 287 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $37,186 | $32,000 | 6,859,819 | 848 |
| 10 | California | $37,375 | $31,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,539 |
| 11 | Wyoming | $31,277 | $26,000 | 579,315 | 92 |
| 12 | Maine | $35,224 | $31,000 | 1,335,907 | 126 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $31,866 | $27,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,557 |
| 14 | Maryland | $36,449 | $31,000 | 6,052,177 | 735 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | $30,146 | $25,000 | 3,930,864 | 677 |
| 16 | Tennessee | $29,791 | $25,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,158 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $30,062 | $25,000 | 1,815,857 | 235 |
| 18 | Colorado | $31,542 | $26,000 | 5,607,154 | 957 |
| 19 | Michigan | $30,881 | $26,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,009 |
| 20 | Kentucky | $29,725 | $25,000 | 4,454,189 | 711 |
| 21 | Alabama | $30,169 | $25,000 | 4,874,747 | 630 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $30,333 | $26,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,360 |
| 23 | Connecticut | $32,205 | $28,000 | 3,588,184 | 411 |
| 24 | Rhode Island | $32,225 | $28,000 | 1,059,639 | 103 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $31,210 | $26,000 | 5,576,606 | 803 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $32,063 | $28,000 | 1,342,795 | 136 |
| 27 | Oregon | $32,575 | $27,000 | 4,142,776 | 388 |
| 28 | New York | $33,704 | $29,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,285 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $34,785 | $30,000 | 1,427,538 | 96 |
| 30 | Delaware | $31,747 | $27,000 | 961,939 | 129 |
| 31 | Montana | $30,103 | $25,000 | 1,050,493 | 155 |
| 32 | Indiana | $28,542 | $24,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,198 |
| 33 | Georgia | $29,480 | $25,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,471 |
| 34 | Virginia | $30,876 | $26,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,125 |
| 35 | Ohio | $28,689 | $24,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,383 |
| 36 | South Dakota | $29,628 | $25,000 | 869,666 | 95 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $27,777 | $24,000 | 5,024,369 | 645 |
| 38 | Florida | $27,175 | $23,000 | 20,984,400 | 3,426 |
| 39 | Texas | $26,969 | $22,000 | 28,304,596 | 3,970 |
| 40 | Vermont | $30,273 | $26,000 | 623,657 | 55 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $29,074 | $24,000 | 5,795,483 | 680 |
| 42 | District of Columbia | $31,364 | $26,000 | 693,972 | 75 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $25,020 | $21,000 | 3,004,279 | 606 |
| 44 | New Mexico | $26,796 | $22,000 | 2,088,070 | 311 |
| 45 | Kansas | $25,861 | $21,000 | 2,913,123 | 582 |
| 46 | Missouri | $25,740 | $21,000 | 6,113,532 | 929 |
| 47 | Iowa | $27,500 | $23,000 | 3,145,711 | 427 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $23,988 | $20,000 | 4,684,333 | 663 |
| 49 | Washington | $28,721 | $24,000 | 7,405,743 | 662 |
| 50 | New Jersey | $28,763 | $24,000 | 9,005,644 | 768 |
| 51 | Illinois | $26,301 | $22,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,576 |
Highest paying states for cafeteria cooks
| Rank | State | Avg. Cafeteria Cook Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi | $38,104 |
| 2 | Utah | $41,197 |
| 3 | Idaho | $36,499 |
| 4 | Alaska | $37,454 |
| 5 | North Dakota | $38,937 |
| 6 | Arizona | $33,721 |
| 7 | Nebraska | $38,402 |
| 8 | Nevada | $34,328 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $37,186 |
| 10 | California | $37,375 |
| 11 | Wyoming | $31,277 |
| 12 | Maine | $35,224 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $31,866 |
| 14 | Maryland | $36,449 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | $30,146 |
| 16 | Tennessee | $29,791 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $30,062 |
| 18 | Colorado | $31,542 |
| 19 | Michigan | $30,881 |
| 20 | Kentucky | $29,725 |
| 21 | Alabama | $30,169 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $30,333 |
| 23 | Connecticut | $32,205 |
| 24 | Rhode Island | $32,225 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $31,210 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $32,063 |
| 27 | Oregon | $32,575 |
| 28 | New York | $33,704 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $34,785 |
| 30 | Delaware | $31,747 |
| 31 | Montana | $30,103 |
| 32 | Indiana | $28,542 |
| 33 | Georgia | $29,480 |
| 34 | Virginia | $30,876 |
| 35 | Ohio | $28,689 |
| 36 | South Dakota | $29,628 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $27,777 |
| 38 | Florida | $27,175 |
| 39 | Texas | $26,969 |
| 40 | Vermont | $30,273 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $29,074 |
| 42 | District of Columbia | $31,364 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $25,020 |
| 44 | New Mexico | $26,796 |
| 45 | Kansas | $25,861 |
| 46 | Missouri | $25,740 |
| 47 | Iowa | $27,500 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $23,988 |
| 49 | Washington | $28,721 |
| 50 | New Jersey | $28,763 |
| 51 | Illinois | $26,301 |
Cafeteria cook best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025