Cooks, All Other Salary
Cooks, All Others in Lafayette, LA make a median of $26,140 a year, or about $12.57 an hour. The range runs from $26K at the entry level to $36K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 87.21), which stretches that salary to about $29,974 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,019/month, about 55.1% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $26K get you in Lafayette?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Lafayette’s Regional Price Parity (87.21). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About cooks, all others
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What this looks like in Lafayette
Pay for cooks, all other in Lafayette runs about 31% below the U.S. median of $38K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,019/month, which is 54.8% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 87.21 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 13% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for cooks, all others.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for cooks, all others in metros near Lafayette, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans-Metairie | $31K | $33K |
| Baton Rouge | $29K | $32K |
| Shreveport-Bossier City | $29K | $35K |
| Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux | $26K | $31K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Lafayette, LA
Entry-level cooks, all others (10th percentile) start around $26K. Mid-career wages sit at $26K. Top earners bring in $36K or more, a $10K spread from bottom to top.
Cooks, All Other pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Cooks, All Other salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $70K | +85% | N/A |
| Washington | $53K | +39% | 140 |
| Nevada | $51K | +36% | 320 |
| New Jersey | $46K | +22% | 280 |
| Indiana | $44K | +18% | 30 |
| North Dakota | $44K | +17% | 60 |
| Missouri | $44K | +17% | 70 |
| Colorado | $43K | +15% | 100 |
| New York | $43K | +14% | 1,090 |
| Georgia | $43K | +14% | 340 |
| California | $43K | +14% | 3,990 |
| Montana | $43K | +13% | 200 |
| Oregon | $42K | +11% | 450 |
| Arizona | $42K | +11% | 550 |
| Vermont | $41K | +9% | 160 |
| Hawaii | $40K | +6% | 100 |
| Florida | $40K | +5% | 710 |
| Connecticut | $37K | -1% | 220 |
| Michigan | $37K | -2% | 300 |
| Minnesota | $37K | -2% | 80 |
| Tennessee | $36K | -3% | 2,060 |
| Pennsylvania | $36K | -4% | 660 |
| Illinois | $36K | -5% | N/A |
| Virginia | $36K | -5% | 480 |
| Ohio | $35K | -6% | 180 |
| Wisconsin | $34K | -10% | 50 |
| Mississippi | $33K | -11% | N/A |
| Texas | $32K | -15% | 4,650 |
| Maryland | $32K | -15% | 610 |
| North Carolina | $31K | -17% | 150 |
| Arkansas | $31K | -18% | 90 |
| Louisiana | $29K | -23% | 430 |
| Iowa | $26K | -31% | 210 |
Showing 1–10 of 33 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track cooks, all other salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Lafayette numbers change.
Related careers in Food Service
Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, all other afford a 2BR apartment alone in Lafayette?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $26K, rent takes 54.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,019/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $600/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for cooks, all others in Lafayette?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, all others typically earn — is $26K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,568/month. At HUD’s $1,019/month FMR, rent would take 65% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is cooks, all other a high-paying job in Lafayette?
Local pay runs 31% below the national median — $26K here vs. $38K nationally. Cost of living is 13% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Lafayette compare to the national average for cooks, all others?
Lafayette pays $26K median vs. the U.S. average of $38K — that’s -31%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 87.21), the purchasing-power equivalent is $30K — below the national median.
How much do cooks, all others make in Lafayette, LA?
The median is $26,140 a year, that works out to about $13 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $26,140, and experienced cooks, all others can clear $36,270. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $26K enough to live in Lafayette?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $1,860/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,019/month, which eats 54.8% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a cooks, all other salary go in Lafayette?
Lafayette has a Regional Price Parity of 87.21 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median cooks, all other salary is worth about $29,974 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do cooks, all others get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.