Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria pay in Illinois
$39,210avg. a year
$18.85 an hour · 22,840 employed
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in Illinois earn an average of $39,210 a year. That is about the same as the U.S. average of $38,810. The best-paying metro area is Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN at $40,800.
$37,440Median pay
$18.85Average hourly
+35%Avg. pay since 2020
#25Of 50 states + D.C.
Top-paying Illinois metro areas
Average pay for cooks, institution and cafeteria by metro area. Swipe to see all 12.
114,010 jobs
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$40,800
$19.62 an hour
2550 jobs
Champaign-Urbana, IL
$40,400
$19.42 an hour
3520 jobs
Bloomington, IL
$39,170
$18.83 an hour
4440 jobs
Paducah, KY-IL
$38,610
$18.56 an hour
5170 jobs
Decatur, IL
$37,970
$18.25 an hour
6230 jobs
Kankakee, IL
$37,300
$17.93 an hour
75,410 jobs
St. Louis, MO-IL
$37,000
$17.79 an hour
8790 jobs
Peoria, IL
$36,910
$17.74 an hour
9460 jobs
Springfield, IL
$36,400
$17.50 an hour
10690 jobs
Rockford, IL
$35,790
$17.21 an hour
11840 jobs
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
$35,520
$17.08 an hour
12200 jobs
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL
$33,700
$16.20 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria pay in Illinois, charted
Pay over time
Illinois, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where Illinois cooks, institution and cafeteria work
Employment by metro area, May 2025
Related jobs in Illinois
- Cooks, Restaurant$39,520
- Food Preparation Workers$36,260
- Fast Food and Counter Workers$34,280
- Waiters and Waitresses$35,610
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers$45,710
- Bartenders$35,550
Average pay, Illinois, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Questions and answers
How much do cooks, institution and cafeteria make in Illinois?
The average is $39,210 a year, and the median is $37,440. That is about the same as the U.S. average of $38,810.
What is the hourly wage in Illinois?
$18.85 an hour on average; the median is $18.00.
Where in Illinois do they earn the most?
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN ($40,800), followed by Champaign-Urbana, IL ($40,400). The lowest average among 12 metro areas with data is Cape Girardeau, MO-IL ($33,700).
How does Illinois rank?
Illinois ranks #25 of 51 states (including D.C.) with published data for this job, by average pay.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 35-2012. State rank compares average pay across states with published data. Metro figures cover metropolitan statistical areas; a metro area can cross state lines. See also the national cooks, institution and cafeteria page. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.