SALARY · COOKS, INSTITUTION AND CAFETERIA · NORTH CAROLINA

Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria salary in North Carolina

People ask me what a job pays, and my honest answer is always: it depends on the state. For cooks, institution and cafeteria in North Carolina, the middle of the field earned $36,140 a year. Use that as your anchor, then look at experience, employer size and city before you judge any single offer.

MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY

$36,140

$17 per hour at the median · That is $1,310 (3.5 percent) below the national median of $37,450 for this occupation.

$36,130Mean annual salary

$17Mean hourly wage

$11,170People employed in this job in North Carolina

Salary range

25th: $31,290Median: $36,14075th: $39,610

Measure	Annual
25th percentile	$31,290
Median (50th percentile)	$36,140
75th percentile	$39,610
Mean	$36,130

The middle half of workers earned from $31,290 to $39,610 a year. Hourly pay matters if your hours vary. An annual figure can look strong while the hourly rate tells a different story, especially in jobs with seasonal hours or overtime. Check both before you compare two offers.

What stays in your pocket on the median salary

ESTIMATED TAKE-HOME PAY

$30,285 a year

$2,524 a month

Federal tax $2,157 · FICA $2,765 · State tax $933

Caveat: the North Carolina rate is from NCDOR, but the $12,750 deduction comes from the statute text, not an NCDOR deduction page.

Read this before you use the take-home figure. It is a single-filer estimate using the 2026 standard deduction. It leaves out credits, other deductions, local taxes, and retirement or health deductions. Your actual paycheck can differ, and for states without a verified 2026 table in this build, state tax is still to be added once its table is verified.

Same job, other states

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