Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in Michigan
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$30,489
after federal, FICA and Michigan tax
Tax takes
$6,381
17.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$32,372
Michigan costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Michigan — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$36,870
Kept after tax
$30,489
Worth in national money
$32,372
State rank
28
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Michigan sits in the middle of the pack for this job. The median is $36,870, ranking 28 of 51 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Measured against other jobs in Michigan, this one sits low: 444 of 493 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Here is where Michigan does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $36,870 you keep $30,489, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $32,372 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $37,370, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Michigan occupies the middle band for cooks, institution and cafeteria: a median of $36,870, ranking 28 of 51. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Cooks, institution and cafeteria occupies position 444 of 493 in Michigan's occupational wage distribution, in the bottom quartile. National ranking and local ranking answer different questions and frequently disagree; this is the one a resident experiences.
- After federal, FICA and Michigan income tax, retained pay for cooks, institution and cafeteria on $36,870 is $30,489. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $32,372 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $37,370 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $29,800 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $36,870 |
| Top tenth earn over | $45,540 |
| This salary | $36,870 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Michigan | $30,489 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $31,805 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$358 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $35,232 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$433 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 94 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of cooks, institution and cafeteria in Michigan earn under $36,870 and half over. The published range runs $29,800 at the tenth percentile to $45,540 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- That $30,489 take-home in Michigan comes from $36,870. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 444 of 493.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $32,372 uses one figure for the whole of Michigan. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 493 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 444.
- Figures are distribution medians for cooks, institution and cafeteria in Michigan, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $29,800 to $45,540; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Retained pay of $30,489, from $36,870, assumes a single Michigan filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 444 of 493 locally, and the state ranks 28 of 51 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $32,372, worked from $36,870, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Michigan address, on work sitting at 444 of 493 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $29,800 at the tenth percentile, $45,540 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Michigan sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $32,372 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Michigan's own levy, $30,489 remains.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($29,800 to $45,540) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Michigan rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Michigan's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $32,372 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $30,489 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Michigan income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.