SOC 35-2012 · Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations · May 2025

How much do Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria make in Arecibo, PR?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in Arecibo, PR is $24,410. The 10th percentile is $21,840 and the 90th percentile is $38,250. Employment is 380.

Median annual wage

$24,410

10th percentile
$21,840
25th percentile
$21,840
Median
$24,410
75th percentile
$29,060
90th percentile
$38,250
Mean
$27,030

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Farmworkers picking asparagus in a field in Baja California
Asparagus pickers in the Maneadero valley, Baja California. Photograph by Tomas Castelazo. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Percentile spread

For Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria, the published 10th percentile is $21,840 and the 90th percentile is $38,250. The difference is $16,410, which is 67.2% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $21,840 to the 75th at $29,060, covers $7,220.

The mean annual wage is $27,030, which sits above the median of $24,410. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Arecibo, PR median is 34.8% lower than the national median of $37,450 for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria.

It is 7% lower than the Puerto Rico median of $26,260.

Price-adjusted pay

The Bureau of Economic Analysis has not published a 2024 all-items regional price parity for Arecibo, PR, so this page does not show a price-adjusted wage.

Nearby metros

5 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria. Arecibo, PR ranks 4th of 6 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Aguadilla, PR is 22 miles away, with a median of $26,260 and employment of 390. That median is 7.6% higher than the median here.
  • Ponce, PR is 30 miles away, with a median of $28,540 and employment of 640. That median is 16.9% higher than the median here.
  • Mayaguez, PR is 39 miles away, with a median of $23,820 and employment of 510. That median is 2.4% lower than the median here.

Employment share

Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria accounts for 1.1% of wage-and-salary employment in Arecibo, PR (380 of 34,720). Nationally the occupation is 0.28% of employment (441,050 of 155,495,730). The local share is 3.86 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Arecibo, PR · Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria make in Arecibo, PR?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in Arecibo, PR is $24,410. The 10th percentile is $21,840 and the 90th percentile is $38,250. Employment is 380.

How does that compare with the national median for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria?

The local median is 34.8% lower than the national median of $37,450.

How does Arecibo, PR compare with nearby metros for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria?

Aguadilla, PR is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 22 miles away, at $26,260. Arecibo, PR ranks 4th of 6 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.