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Best states for a cook/baker
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Cook/baker opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for cook/bakers, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for cook/bakers.Our research found that Hawaii is the best state for cook/bakers, while Hawaii and Massachusetts are ranked highest in terms of median salary. Hawaii has a median salary of $47,037 and Hawaii has the highest median salary among all 50 states for cook/bakers.
In order to get you the best states for cook/bakers, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.Hawaii is the best state, and Waipahu is the city with the highest pay for cook/bakers.
10 best states for cook/bakers in 2026
1. Hawaii
Total cook/baker jobs: 97 Average annual salary: $47,037 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Location Quotient: 0.74
2. Nevada
Total cook/baker jobs: 355 Average annual salary: $34,416 Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Location Quotient: 1.08
3. Massachusetts
Total cook/baker jobs: 975 Average annual salary: $41,997 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Location Quotient: 0.68
4. Arizona
Total cook/baker jobs: 1,170 Average annual salary: $32,663 Lowest 10 percent earn: $24,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Location Quotient: 1.27
5. New Jersey
Total cook/baker jobs: 1,002 Average annual salary: $39,345 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Location Quotient: 0.8
6. Oregon
Total cook/baker jobs: 435 Average annual salary: $38,342 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Location Quotient: 0.67
7. Illinois
Total cook/baker jobs: 2,007 Average annual salary: $33,826 Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Location Quotient: 1.07
8. Washington
Total cook/baker jobs: 701 Average annual salary: $39,094 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Location Quotient: 0.61
9. Colorado
Total cook/baker jobs: 959 Average annual salary: $34,449 Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
10. Idaho
Total cook/baker jobs: 263 Average annual salary: $33,081 Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Location Quotient: 1.02
Cook/baker jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a cook/baker
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a cook/baker
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $47,037 | $39,000 | 1,427,538 | 97 |
| 2 | Nevada | $34,416 | $25,000 | 2,998,039 | 355 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $41,997 | $33,000 | 6,859,819 | 975 |
| 4 | Arizona | $32,663 | $24,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,170 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $39,345 | $30,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,002 |
| 6 | Oregon | $38,342 | $28,000 | 4,142,776 | 435 |
| 7 | Illinois | $33,826 | $26,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,007 |
| 8 | Washington | $39,094 | $29,000 | 7,405,743 | 701 |
| 9 | Colorado | $34,449 | $26,000 | 5,607,154 | 959 |
| 10 | Idaho | $33,081 | $25,000 | 1,716,943 | 263 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $33,923 | $26,000 | 5,576,606 | 960 |
| 12 | New York | $36,553 | $28,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,645 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $35,456 | $27,000 | 3,588,184 | 443 |
| 14 | Michigan | $30,880 | $23,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,394 |
| 15 | California | $36,886 | $26,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,965 |
| 16 | Ohio | $29,671 | $22,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,095 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $34,367 | $27,000 | 1,342,795 | 180 |
| 18 | Maine | $33,490 | $27,000 | 1,335,907 | 162 |
| 19 | Vermont | $34,833 | $28,000 | 623,657 | 59 |
| 20 | North Dakota | $31,918 | $24,000 | 755,393 | 124 |
| 21 | Missouri | $30,222 | $23,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,042 |
| 22 | Indiana | $29,173 | $22,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,215 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | $33,253 | $26,000 | 1,059,639 | 119 |
| 24 | Alaska | $32,357 | $25,000 | 739,795 | 113 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $30,238 | $23,000 | 5,795,483 | 757 |
| 26 | District of Columbia | $36,205 | $27,000 | 693,972 | 79 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $27,818 | $20,000 | 2,088,070 | 380 |
| 28 | Florida | $27,851 | $20,000 | 20,984,400 | 3,475 |
| 29 | Delaware | $32,134 | $24,000 | 961,939 | 134 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $28,593 | $21,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,874 |
| 31 | Utah | $29,059 | $22,000 | 3,101,833 | 482 |
| 32 | Iowa | $27,363 | $21,000 | 3,145,711 | 587 |
| 33 | Texas | $26,842 | $19,000 | 28,304,596 | 3,856 |
| 34 | Maryland | $30,609 | $23,000 | 6,052,177 | 891 |
| 35 | Wyoming | $27,153 | $20,000 | 579,315 | 98 |
| 36 | South Carolina | $27,380 | $20,000 | 5,024,369 | 693 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $25,164 | $19,000 | 4,454,189 | 711 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $28,504 | $21,000 | 869,666 | 102 |
| 39 | Montana | $26,778 | $20,000 | 1,050,493 | 187 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $25,193 | $19,000 | 3,930,864 | 554 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $24,857 | $18,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,070 |
| 42 | Virginia | $28,681 | $21,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,260 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $25,582 | $19,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,609 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $25,375 | $19,000 | 3,004,279 | 399 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $26,830 | $20,000 | 1,920,076 | 272 |
| 46 | West Virginia | $23,789 | $18,000 | 1,815,857 | 264 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $24,317 | $17,000 | 4,684,333 | 562 |
| 48 | Georgia | $24,204 | $18,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,722 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $22,461 | $16,000 | 2,984,100 | 398 |
| 50 | Kansas | $24,795 | $18,000 | 2,913,123 | 395 |
| 51 | Alabama | $24,188 | $18,000 | 4,874,747 | 522 |
Highest paying states for cook/bakers
| Rank | State | Avg. Cook/Baker Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $47,037 |
| 2 | Nevada | $34,416 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $41,997 |
| 4 | Arizona | $32,663 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $39,345 |
| 6 | Oregon | $38,342 |
| 7 | Illinois | $33,826 |
| 8 | Washington | $39,094 |
| 9 | Colorado | $34,449 |
| 10 | Idaho | $33,081 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $33,923 |
| 12 | New York | $36,553 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $35,456 |
| 14 | Michigan | $30,880 |
| 15 | California | $36,886 |
| 16 | Ohio | $29,671 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $34,367 |
| 18 | Maine | $33,490 |
| 19 | Vermont | $34,833 |
| 20 | North Dakota | $31,918 |
| 21 | Missouri | $30,222 |
| 22 | Indiana | $29,173 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | $33,253 |
| 24 | Alaska | $32,357 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $30,238 |
| 26 | District of Columbia | $36,205 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $27,818 |
| 28 | Florida | $27,851 |
| 29 | Delaware | $32,134 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $28,593 |
| 31 | Utah | $29,059 |
| 32 | Iowa | $27,363 |
| 33 | Texas | $26,842 |
| 34 | Maryland | $30,609 |
| 35 | Wyoming | $27,153 |
| 36 | South Carolina | $27,380 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $25,164 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $28,504 |
| 39 | Montana | $26,778 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $25,193 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $24,857 |
| 42 | Virginia | $28,681 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $25,582 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $25,375 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $26,830 |
| 46 | West Virginia | $23,789 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $24,317 |
| 48 | Georgia | $24,204 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $22,461 |
| 50 | Kansas | $24,795 |
| 51 | Alabama | $24,188 |
Cook/baker best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025