BLS metro-level wage data places Cooks, All Other pay in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI at a median of $38,210 per year ($18.37/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $37,690, Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington pays +1% above, signaling either concentrated employer demand, a cost-of-living premium, or both. Approximately 40 cooks, all others are employed across the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MSA in SOC 35-2019.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington pay distribution spans from $30,180 at the 10th percentile to $48,260 at the 90th — a 1.6× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $34,980 and the 75th at $45,430, so half of Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington-based cooks, all others earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live — which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide MN data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.