BLS metro-level wage data places Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria pay in Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL at a median of $35,610 per year ($17.12/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $37,450, Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach pays 5% below, which typically tracks with a lower local cost of living or smaller specialized-employer cluster. Approximately 680 cooks, institution and cafeterias are employed across the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach MSA in SOC 35-2012.

The Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach pay distribution spans from $31,370 at the 10th percentile to $45,010 at the 90th — a 1.4× 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 $34,840 and the 75th at $38,220, so half of Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach-based cooks, institution and cafeterias 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 Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL 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 FL data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.