Tennessee / Cook
Role across Tennessee
Cook
Carry out the duties of this position in support of the agency's public mission.
29 people hold the Cook role across 4 departments in Tennessee, with a median total compensation of $36,480. Among 20 jurisdictions where this role is reported, Tennessee ranks #10 by median pay.
- Employees
- 29
- Median pay
- $36,480
- Departments
- 4
- Cross-jurisdiction
- #10 of 20
Compared with the local labor market
Cook pay vs. Tennessee
Across all employers in Tennessee, the median wage for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria — about 10,680 people — is $35,570. Tennessee pays a median base salary of $36,480 for this role, 3% above that figure — about the 57th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where Tennessee sits in the local pay range
The bar is the range of annual wages for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria across every employer in Tennessee, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Tennessee’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria — about 441,050 people — is $37,450. Tennessee’s median base salary is 3% below that national figure, about the 45th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Tennessee range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at Tennessee is $36,480, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.
Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.
Compare jurisdictions
Cook pay in other jurisdictions
Where Cooks are paid most
Median total compensation for comparable Cookroles in other jurisdictions (highest first). Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not by identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for this role.
Within Tennessee
Departments with this role
Largest Tennessee departments for this role
Departments in Tennesseeemploying the most people in this role. Each bar links to that department’s page for the role.