Cooking federal employee pay and staffing
This page shows how large the Cooking series is across government, what the average pay looks like, and which agencies employ the biggest share of people in this occupation.
March 2025 workforce snapshot. The Cooking occupation series had 3,905 employees with an average salary of $68,728.
3,905 employees in this occupation series
$68,728 average pay
Food Preparation and Serving Family occupation family
Veterans Health Administration largest agency for this occupation
What this page helps you check
Use this page when you want to see where a federal occupation is concentrated, which agencies employ the most people in it, and what the average pay looks like across government.
Occupation family
Cooking is reported under the Food Preparation and Serving Family family in the latest OPM summary.
Agencies that employ the most Cooking staff
These are the agencies with the biggest reported headcount in this occupation series.
| Agency | Department | Employees | Total salary expense | Average pay | Share of occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veterans Health Administration | Department of Veterans Affairs | 1,628 | $95,314,894 | $58,547 | 41.7% |
| Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System | Department of Justice | 1,244 | $110,203,472 | $88,588 | 31.9% |
| Military Treatment Facilities Under DHA | Department of Defense | 280 | $17,606,736 | $62,881 | 7.2% |
| Bureau of Indian Education | Department of the Interior | 159 | $7,092,309 | $44,606 | 4.1% |
| Indian Health Service | Department of Health and Human Services | 83 | $4,983,374 | $60,041 | 2.1% |
| Forest Service | Department of Agriculture | 79 | $4,640,353 | $58,739 | 2.0% |
| Bureau of Naval Personnel | Department of Defense | 41 | $2,477,619 | $60,430 | 1.0% |
| U.s. Army Sustainment Command | Department of Defense | 31 | $1,771,074 | $57,131 | 0.8% |
| U.s. Air Force Academy | Department of Defense | 15 | $782,355 | $52,157 | 0.4% |
| Indian Affairs | Department of the Interior | 13 | $739,336 | $56,872 | 0.3% |
| Air Mobility Command | Department of Defense | 12 | $867,228 | $72,269 | 0.3% |
Common pay plans for Cooking
This shows the pay plans most commonly attached to this occupation series in the latest OPM summary.
| Pay plan | Employees | Average pay | Share of occupation |
|---|---|---|---|
| WG | 1,629 | $56,652 | 41.7% |
| WS | 1,571 | $86,994 | 40.2% |
| NA | 214 | $45,329 | 5.5% |
| CY | 159 | $44,606 | 4.1% |
| WL | 12 | $60,993 | 0.3% |
Occupation totals come from the latest OPM FedScope Employment Summary Data (March 2025).