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Best states for a cafeteria manager
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for cafeteria managers? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for cafeteria manager jobs.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of cafeteria managers in America is $48,000.
In order to get you the best states for cafeteria managers, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.Wisconsin is the best state, and South Kingstown is the city with the highest pay for cafeteria managers.
10 best states for cafeteria managers in 2026
1. Wisconsin
Total cafeteria manager jobs: 847 Average annual salary: $34,076 Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Location Quotient: 1.32
2. Indiana
Total cafeteria manager jobs: 1,167 Average annual salary: $32,298 Lowest 10 percent earn: $24,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Location Quotient: 1.53
3. Maine
Total cafeteria manager jobs: 118 Average annual salary: $38,718 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Location Quotient: 0.77
4. Minnesota
Total cafeteria manager jobs: 702 Average annual salary: $35,749 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Location Quotient: 0.91
5. New Jersey
Total cafeteria manager jobs: 685 Average annual salary: $39,196 Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Location Quotient: 0.74
6. Rhode Island
Total cafeteria manager jobs: 72 Average annual salary: $39,809 Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Location Quotient: 0.51
7. New Hampshire
Total cafeteria manager jobs: 85 Average annual salary: $39,584 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Location Quotient: 0.42
8. Washington
Total cafeteria manager jobs: 639 Average annual salary: $36,584 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Location Quotient: 0.75
9. Nevada
Total cafeteria manager jobs: 191 Average annual salary: $34,868 Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Location Quotient: 0.79
10. Massachusetts
Total cafeteria manager jobs: 852 Average annual salary: $35,689 Lowest 10 percent earn: $24,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Location Quotient: 0.8
Cafeteria manager jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a cafeteria manager
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a cafeteria manager
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wisconsin | $34,076 | $26,000 | 5,795,483 | 847 |
| 2 | Indiana | $32,298 | $24,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,167 |
| 3 | Maine | $38,718 | $27,000 | 1,335,907 | 118 |
| 4 | Minnesota | $35,749 | $27,000 | 5,576,606 | 702 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $39,196 | $25,000 | 9,005,644 | 685 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $39,809 | $26,000 | 1,059,639 | 72 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $39,584 | $27,000 | 1,342,795 | 85 |
| 8 | Washington | $36,584 | $27,000 | 7,405,743 | 639 |
| 9 | Nevada | $34,868 | $25,000 | 2,998,039 | 191 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $35,689 | $24,000 | 6,859,819 | 852 |
| 11 | Alabama | $30,905 | $24,000 | 4,874,747 | 619 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $36,178 | $24,000 | 3,588,184 | 286 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $32,454 | $21,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,513 |
| 14 | Michigan | $29,840 | $21,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,359 |
| 15 | Vermont | $35,489 | $25,000 | 623,657 | 31 |
| 16 | Wyoming | $30,321 | $24,000 | 579,315 | 76 |
| 17 | New York | $35,249 | $23,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,225 |
| 18 | Illinois | $31,778 | $24,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,498 |
| 19 | Utah | $30,654 | $24,000 | 3,101,833 | 376 |
| 20 | Ohio | $28,776 | $21,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,527 |
| 21 | California | $35,960 | $25,000 | 39,536,653 | 2,203 |
| 22 | Idaho | $31,180 | $24,000 | 1,716,943 | 137 |
| 23 | Missouri | $30,006 | $23,000 | 6,113,532 | 825 |
| 24 | Hawaii | $37,545 | $31,000 | 1,427,538 | 61 |
| 25 | Louisiana | $28,945 | $22,000 | 4,684,333 | 487 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $29,101 | $21,000 | 1,815,857 | 156 |
| 27 | Iowa | $29,517 | $23,000 | 3,145,711 | 407 |
| 28 | Delaware | $32,828 | $21,000 | 961,939 | 101 |
| 29 | Maryland | $32,535 | $22,000 | 6,052,177 | 766 |
| 30 | Alaska | $31,935 | $25,000 | 739,795 | 58 |
| 31 | Arizona | $30,847 | $23,000 | 7,016,270 | 458 |
| 32 | Nebraska | $29,222 | $23,000 | 1,920,076 | 260 |
| 33 | Georgia | $28,095 | $22,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,478 |
| 34 | Colorado | $30,484 | $24,000 | 5,607,154 | 548 |
| 35 | Oregon | $31,935 | $22,000 | 4,142,776 | 287 |
| 36 | Virginia | $30,243 | $21,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,009 |
| 37 | North Dakota | $29,207 | $23,000 | 755,393 | 47 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $25,683 | $19,000 | 4,454,189 | 702 |
| 39 | Texas | $27,459 | $21,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,500 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $29,211 | $22,000 | 2,088,070 | 127 |
| 41 | Montana | $27,941 | $22,000 | 1,050,493 | 105 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $25,953 | $20,000 | 2,984,100 | 301 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $25,603 | $20,000 | 3,004,279 | 355 |
| 44 | District of Columbia | $31,844 | $21,000 | 693,972 | 105 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $25,693 | $20,000 | 3,930,864 | 430 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $24,868 | $19,000 | 5,024,369 | 659 |
| 47 | North Carolina | $25,321 | $19,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,284 |
| 48 | Kansas | $24,936 | $19,000 | 2,913,123 | 421 |
| 49 | Tennessee | $23,711 | $18,000 | 6,715,984 | 884 |
| 50 | Florida | $24,966 | $18,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,124 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $26,683 | $21,000 | 869,666 | 46 |
Highest paying states for cafeteria managers
| Rank | State | Avg. Cafeteria Manager Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wisconsin | $34,076 |
| 2 | Indiana | $32,298 |
| 3 | Maine | $38,718 |
| 4 | Minnesota | $35,749 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $39,196 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $39,809 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $39,584 |
| 8 | Washington | $36,584 |
| 9 | Nevada | $34,868 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $35,689 |
| 11 | Alabama | $30,905 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $36,178 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $32,454 |
| 14 | Michigan | $29,840 |
| 15 | Vermont | $35,489 |
| 16 | Wyoming | $30,321 |
| 17 | New York | $35,249 |
| 18 | Illinois | $31,778 |
| 19 | Utah | $30,654 |
| 20 | Ohio | $28,776 |
| 21 | California | $35,960 |
| 22 | Idaho | $31,180 |
| 23 | Missouri | $30,006 |
| 24 | Hawaii | $37,545 |
| 25 | Louisiana | $28,945 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $29,101 |
| 27 | Iowa | $29,517 |
| 28 | Delaware | $32,828 |
| 29 | Maryland | $32,535 |
| 30 | Alaska | $31,935 |
| 31 | Arizona | $30,847 |
| 32 | Nebraska | $29,222 |
| 33 | Georgia | $28,095 |
| 34 | Colorado | $30,484 |
| 35 | Oregon | $31,935 |
| 36 | Virginia | $30,243 |
| 37 | North Dakota | $29,207 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $25,683 |
| 39 | Texas | $27,459 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $29,211 |
| 41 | Montana | $27,941 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $25,953 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $25,603 |
| 44 | District of Columbia | $31,844 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $25,693 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $24,868 |
| 47 | North Carolina | $25,321 |
| 48 | Kansas | $24,936 |
| 49 | Tennessee | $23,711 |
| 50 | Florida | $24,966 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $26,683 |
Cafeteria manager best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025