Compared with the local labor market
Cook III pay vs. Texas
Across all employers in Texas, the median wage for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria — about 24,740 people — is $35,360. Parks and Wildlife Department pays a median base salary of $40,369 for this role, 14% above that figure — about the 79th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where Parks and Wildlife Department sits in the local pay range
$24,770
$29,170
$35,360
$38,910
$44,840
Parks and Wildlife Department median · $40,369
The bar is the range of annual wages for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria across every employer in Texas, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Parks and Wildlife Department’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. Parks and Wildlife Department’s median base salary is 8% above that national figure, about the 60th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
$28,480
$32,440
$37,450
$44,800
$49,670
Parks and Wildlife Department median · $40,369
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 Texas range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at Parks and Wildlife Department is $40,369, 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 beyond Texas
This role is reported in 20 jurisdictions. In Texas, the median of $42,923 ranks #9 of 20. See Cook across all of Texas →
Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role
Median total compensation for comparable Cookroles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.