How much do Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria make in Knoxville, TN?

Percentile spread

For Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria, the published 10th percentile is $26,880 and the 90th percentile is $43,370. The difference is $16,490, which is 46.9% 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 $29,530 to the 75th at $37,070, covers $7,540.

The mean annual wage is $34,460, which sits below the median of $35,150. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Knoxville, TN median is 6.1% lower than the national median of $37,450 for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria. In 2024 national prices the local median is $37,972, which is 1.4% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 1.2% lower than the Tennessee median of $35,570.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Knoxville, TN is 92.569, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $35,150 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria at $37,972 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

25 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria. Knoxville, TN ranks 11th of 26 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).).

• Morristown, TN is 43 miles away, with a median of $30,080 and employment of 130. That median is 14.4% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $34,829, against $37,972 here.
• Cleveland, TN is 69 miles away, with a median of $32,220 and employment of 150. That median is 8.3% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $36,580, against $37,972 here.
• Asheville, NC is 93 miles away, with a median of $37,550 and employment of 430. That median is 6.8% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $38,909, against $37,972 here.

Employment share

Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria accounts for 0.23% of wage-and-salary employment in Knoxville, TN (970 of 424,600). Nationally the occupation is 0.28% of employment (441,050 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.81 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.