SOC 35-2012 · Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations · May 2025
How much do Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria make in Savannah, GA?
In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in Savannah, GA is $35,480. The 10th percentile is $28,390 and the 90th percentile is $41,740. Employment is 280.
Median annual wage
$35,480
- 10th percentile
- $28,390
- 25th percentile
- $30,350
- Median
- $35,480
- 75th percentile
- $37,550
- 90th percentile
- $41,740
- Mean
- $34,910
Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Percentile spread
For Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria, the published 10th percentile is $28,390 and the 90th percentile is $41,740. The difference is $13,350, which is 37.6% 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 $30,350 to the 75th at $37,550, covers $7,200.
The mean annual wage is $34,910, which sits below the median of $35,480. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.
National and state comparison
The Savannah, GA median is 5.3% lower than the national median of $37,450 for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria. In 2024 national prices the local median is $37,267, which is 0.5% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.
It is 1.1% higher than the Georgia median of $35,090.
Price-adjusted pay
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Savannah, GA is 95.206, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $35,480 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria at $37,267 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.
Nearby metros
16 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria. Savannah, GA ranks 5th of 17 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).).
- Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC is 32 miles away, with a median of $38,920 and employment of 280. That median is 9.7% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $39,707, against $37,267 here.
- Brunswick-St. Simons, GA is 59 miles away, with a median of $33,530 and employment of 100. That median is 5.5% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $38,229, against $37,267 here.
- Charleston-North Charleston, SC is 97 miles away, with a median of $36,990 and employment of 940. That median is 4.3% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $36,638, against $37,267 here.
Employment share
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria accounts for 0.14% of wage-and-salary employment in Savannah, GA (280 of 198,360). Nationally the occupation is 0.28% of employment (441,050 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.50 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 Savannah, GA · 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 Savannah, GA?
In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in Savannah, GA is $35,480. The 10th percentile is $28,390 and the 90th percentile is $41,740. Employment is 280.
How does that compare with the national median for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria?
The local median is 5.3% lower than the national median of $37,450.
What is Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria pay in Savannah, GA after local prices?
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Savannah, GA is 95.206, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $35,480 is $37,267. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.
How does Savannah, GA compare with nearby metros for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria?
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 32 miles away, at $38,920. Savannah, GA ranks 5th of 17 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.