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Best states for a cook/dietary aide
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to cook/dietary aide jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. We wanted to look at the best states for cook/dietary aides -- where there are plenty of cook/dietary aide jobs to go around and cook/dietary aides get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
In order to get you the best states for cook/dietary aides, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.We found that Alaska is the best state for cook/dietary aide jobs, whereas Maryland is the worst.
10 best states for cook/dietary aides in 2026
1. Alaska
Total cook/dietary aide jobs: 179 Average annual salary: $36,407 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Location Quotient: 1.05
2. Mississippi
Total cook/dietary aide jobs: 477 Average annual salary: $34,151 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Location Quotient: 1.1
3. Utah
Total cook/dietary aide jobs: 593 Average annual salary: $39,315 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Location Quotient: 0.91
4. Nebraska
Total cook/dietary aide jobs: 435 Average annual salary: $35,809 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Location Quotient: 0.95
5. Idaho
Total cook/dietary aide jobs: 329 Average annual salary: $35,304 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Location Quotient: 0.98
6. North Dakota
Total cook/dietary aide jobs: 165 Average annual salary: $36,515 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Location Quotient: 0.87
7. Maine
Total cook/dietary aide jobs: 270 Average annual salary: $33,606 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Location Quotient: 0.99
8. Indiana
Total cook/dietary aide jobs: 1,760 Average annual salary: $30,518 Lowest 10 percent earn: $23,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Location Quotient: 1.31
9. Texas
Total cook/dietary aide jobs: 4,895 Average annual salary: $29,721 Lowest 10 percent earn: $23,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
10. Montana
Total cook/dietary aide jobs: 319 Average annual salary: $29,498 Lowest 10 percent earn: $23,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Location Quotient: 1.35
Cook/dietary aide jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a cook/dietary aide
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a cook/dietary aide
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $36,407 | $29,000 | 739,795 | 179 |
| 2 | Mississippi | $34,151 | $27,000 | 2,984,100 | 477 |
| 3 | Utah | $39,315 | $30,000 | 3,101,833 | 593 |
| 4 | Nebraska | $35,809 | $27,000 | 1,920,076 | 435 |
| 5 | Idaho | $35,304 | $27,000 | 1,716,943 | 329 |
| 6 | North Dakota | $36,515 | $28,000 | 755,393 | 165 |
| 7 | Maine | $33,606 | $28,000 | 1,335,907 | 270 |
| 8 | Indiana | $30,518 | $23,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,760 |
| 9 | Texas | $29,721 | $23,000 | 28,304,596 | 4,895 |
| 10 | Montana | $29,498 | $23,000 | 1,050,493 | 319 |
| 11 | Arizona | $31,053 | $24,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,176 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $34,879 | $28,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,387 |
| 13 | Vermont | $34,411 | $28,000 | 623,657 | 108 |
| 14 | Nevada | $31,911 | $25,000 | 2,998,039 | 351 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $28,173 | $22,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,803 |
| 16 | New York | $32,021 | $25,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,649 |
| 17 | California | $34,275 | $27,000 | 39,536,653 | 4,529 |
| 18 | Oregon | $31,531 | $24,000 | 4,142,776 | 683 |
| 19 | Colorado | $30,827 | $23,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,108 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $28,602 | $22,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,441 |
| 21 | Oklahoma | $27,686 | $21,000 | 3,930,864 | 707 |
| 22 | Tennessee | $26,644 | $21,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,401 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $26,571 | $20,000 | 1,815,857 | 413 |
| 24 | Wyoming | $30,205 | $23,000 | 579,315 | 80 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $29,982 | $24,000 | 1,059,639 | 183 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $30,280 | $24,000 | 1,342,795 | 246 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $26,531 | $20,000 | 4,454,189 | 858 |
| 28 | Hawaii | $31,842 | $27,000 | 1,427,538 | 141 |
| 29 | Florida | $26,115 | $21,000 | 20,984,400 | 4,277 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $26,972 | $21,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,973 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $27,801 | $21,000 | 869,666 | 155 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $26,239 | $20,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,155 |
| 33 | Connecticut | $28,197 | $22,000 | 3,588,184 | 548 |
| 34 | Georgia | $26,367 | $21,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,122 |
| 35 | Iowa | $25,162 | $19,000 | 3,145,711 | 855 |
| 36 | Alabama | $27,026 | $21,000 | 4,874,747 | 656 |
| 37 | Ohio | $25,099 | $19,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,380 |
| 38 | Delaware | $27,814 | $22,000 | 961,939 | 189 |
| 39 | Washington | $28,203 | $22,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,051 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $26,323 | $20,000 | 4,684,333 | 606 |
| 41 | New Mexico | $24,809 | $19,000 | 2,088,070 | 472 |
| 42 | Virginia | $27,134 | $21,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,638 |
| 43 | Michigan | $23,225 | $18,000 | 9,962,311 | 2,144 |
| 44 | Kansas | $23,867 | $18,000 | 2,913,123 | 699 |
| 45 | New Jersey | $25,815 | $20,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,571 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $24,784 | $19,000 | 5,024,369 | 858 |
| 47 | Illinois | $23,715 | $18,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,610 |
| 48 | District of Columbia | $27,417 | $21,000 | 693,972 | 115 |
| 49 | Missouri | $23,432 | $18,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,108 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $22,657 | $17,000 | 3,004,279 | 447 |
| 51 | Maryland | $21,474 | $17,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,181 |
Highest paying states for cook/dietary aides
| Rank | State | Avg. Cook/Dietary Aide Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $36,407 |
| 2 | Mississippi | $34,151 |
| 3 | Utah | $39,315 |
| 4 | Nebraska | $35,809 |
| 5 | Idaho | $35,304 |
| 6 | North Dakota | $36,515 |
| 7 | Maine | $33,606 |
| 8 | Indiana | $30,518 |
| 9 | Texas | $29,721 |
| 10 | Montana | $29,498 |
| 11 | Arizona | $31,053 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $34,879 |
| 13 | Vermont | $34,411 |
| 14 | Nevada | $31,911 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $28,173 |
| 16 | New York | $32,021 |
| 17 | California | $34,275 |
| 18 | Oregon | $31,531 |
| 19 | Colorado | $30,827 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $28,602 |
| 21 | Oklahoma | $27,686 |
| 22 | Tennessee | $26,644 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $26,571 |
| 24 | Wyoming | $30,205 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $29,982 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $30,280 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $26,531 |
| 28 | Hawaii | $31,842 |
| 29 | Florida | $26,115 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $26,972 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $27,801 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $26,239 |
| 33 | Connecticut | $28,197 |
| 34 | Georgia | $26,367 |
| 35 | Iowa | $25,162 |
| 36 | Alabama | $27,026 |
| 37 | Ohio | $25,099 |
| 38 | Delaware | $27,814 |
| 39 | Washington | $28,203 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $26,323 |
| 41 | New Mexico | $24,809 |
| 42 | Virginia | $27,134 |
| 43 | Michigan | $23,225 |
| 44 | Kansas | $23,867 |
| 45 | New Jersey | $25,815 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $24,784 |
| 47 | Illinois | $23,715 |
| 48 | District of Columbia | $27,417 |
| 49 | Missouri | $23,432 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $22,657 |
| 51 | Maryland | $21,474 |
Cook/dietary aide best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025