Institution and Cafeteria Cooks in Arkansas

Get the information you need to know about working as an Institution and Cafeteria Cook.

You’re in luck! Jobs for Institution and Cafeteria Cooks in Arkansas are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

• Projected employment for Institution and Cafeteria Cooks in Arkansas is growing faster than average.

• Institution and Cafeteria Cooks in Arkansas earn lower salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

How Many Institution and Cafeteria Cooks Work in Arkansas?

6,310 people worked as Institution and Cafeteria Cooks in 2018 in this state.

There were 7,200 Institution and Cafeteria Cooks employed in this state in 2017.

That’s a decline of 890 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

The typical state has 6,580 Institution and Cafeteria Cooks working in it, which means Arkansas has fewer Institution and Cafeteria Cooks than average.

Job Projections for Arkansas

Jobs for Institution and Cafeteria Cooks in this state are growing at a rate of 11.7% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 7.7%.

Arkansas Annual Job Openings

The BLS is projecting 1,080 annual Institution and Cafeteria Cooks job openings in Arkansas, and 7,640 total jobs in the year 2026.

Nationwide, the prediction is 64,400 annual jobs and 457,400 total jobs in 2026.

What do Institution and Cafeteria Cooks Make in Arkansas?

In 2018 wages for Institution and Cafeteria Cooks ranged from $18,570 to $28,920 with $20,440 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $8.93 to $13.9. The median hourly rate was $9.82.

Workers in this field were paid a median of $9.49 an hour in 2017.

The hourly rate grew by $0.33.

The median salary in Arkansas is higher than the nationwide median salary.

Top Arkansas Metros for Institution and Cafeteria Cooks

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Institution and Cafeteria Cooks.

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Memphis, TN-MS-AR	1,380	$23,980
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR	1,210	$22,620
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO	1,180	$22,280
Fort Smith, AR-OK	550	$19,290
Texarkana, TX-AR	250	$22,310
Hot Springs, AR	240	$20,320
Jonesboro, AR	230	$20,410
Pine Bluff, AR	200	$19,760

Top States for Institution and Cafeteria Cooks Employment

View the list below to see where most Institution and Cafeteria Cooks work.

State	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Texas	33,000	$23,850
California	29,470	$33,720
Illinois	19,960	$26,260
Ohio	18,910	$26,280
New York	16,180	$32,880
Pennsylvania	15,960	$28,350
Florida	14,970	$26,480
Missouri	13,610	$23,430
Alabama	11,080	$19,530
Kentucky	10,770	$24,530
Washington	10,650	$33,180
Indiana	10,360	$24,420
Wisconsin	9,900	$28,660
Georgia	9,810	$25,130
Tennessee	9,800	$24,430
Oklahoma	9,680	$20,220
Colorado	9,360	$28,500
North Carolina	8,620	$24,600
Michigan	8,560	$27,820
South Carolina	8,290	$21,680

Below are the states where Institution and Cafeteria Cooks get paid the most:

State	Annual Median Salary
Connecticut	$37,630
Hawaii	$37,500
Massachusetts	$36,200
Alaska	$35,570
District of Columbia	$35,440
Rhode Island	$34,780
California	$33,720
Delaware	$33,290
Washington	$33,180
New Jersey	$32,950

Related Careers in AR

You may also be interested in the following careers:

Occupation	AR Employment Total

What Major Will Prepare You For an Institution and Cafeteria Cook Career?

• Personal & Culinary Services
• Culinary Arts
• General Cooking & Related Culinary Arts
• Institutional Food Workers

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• Image Credit: By U.S. Army Europe Images under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.