Cooks, All Other in the Lancaster Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Cooks, All Other pay in Lancaster, PA at a median of $36,390 per year ($17.50/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $37,690, the metro estimate is 3% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 40 cooks, all other are employed across the Lancaster MSA in SOC 35-2019.

The Lancaster pay distribution spans from $31,310 at the 10th percentile to $51,580 at the 90th, a 1.6× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $34,960 and the 75th at $39,740, so half of Lancaster-based cooks, all other earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Lancaster, PA covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide PA estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.