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

How much do Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria make in Gainesville, FL?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in Gainesville, FL is $36,400. The 10th percentile is $28,750 and the 90th percentile is $47,040. Employment is 330.

Median annual wage

$36,400

10th percentile
$28,750
25th percentile
$33,210
Median
$36,400
75th percentile
$39,250
90th percentile
$47,040
Mean
$37,210

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A welder working in a workshop
A welder at a workshop bench. Photograph by ABDULIUMAR. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Percentile spread

For Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria, the published 10th percentile is $28,750 and the 90th percentile is $47,040. The difference is $18,290, which is 50.2% 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 $33,210 to the 75th at $39,250, covers $6,040.

The mean annual wage is $37,210, which sits above the median of $36,400. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Gainesville, FL median is 2.8% lower than the national median of $37,450 for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria. In 2024 national prices the local median is $37,629, which is 0.5% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 0.4% higher than the Florida median of $36,250.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Gainesville, FL is 96.733, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $36,400 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria at $37,629 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

18 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria. Gainesville, FL ranks 9th of 19 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).).

  • Ocala, FL is 41 miles away, with a median of $33,410 and employment of 340. That median is 8.2% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $35,082, against $37,629 here.
  • Homosassa Springs, FL is 42 miles away, with a median of $36,710 and employment of 190. That median is 0.9% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $39,276, against $37,629 here.
  • Wildwood-The Villages, FL is 63 miles away, with a median of $35,940 and employment of 160. That median is 1.3% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $42,072, against $37,629 here.

Employment share

Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria accounts for 0.22% of wage-and-salary employment in Gainesville, FL (330 of 152,670). Nationally the occupation is 0.28% of employment (441,050 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.76 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 Gainesville, FL · 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 Gainesville, FL?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in Gainesville, FL is $36,400. The 10th percentile is $28,750 and the 90th percentile is $47,040. Employment is 330.

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

The local median is 2.8% lower than the national median of $37,450.

What is Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria pay in Gainesville, FL after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Gainesville, FL is 96.733, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $36,400 is $37,629. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Gainesville, FL compare with nearby metros for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria?

Ocala, FL is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 41 miles away, at $33,410. Gainesville, FL ranks 9th of 19 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.