Salary Range & Percentiles
Pay distribution across experience levels
- 10th Percentile — Entry Level$28,700
- 25th Percentile — Junior$34,010
- 50th Percentile — Median$37,390
- 75th Percentile — Senior$44,620
- 90th Percentile — Top Earners$47,900
The top 10% of Cooks Restaurant earn $47,900 or more per year. Entry-level professionals can expect to start around $28,700, with significant growth over the first 5 years.
What Cooks Restaurant Do
Role, training and entry requirements
Restaurant cooks prepare, season, and cook dishes such as soups, salads, entrees, and desserts in full-service restaurants. They follow recipes, prep ingredients, work a station on the line, and keep their area clean and food-safe.
How to become one
Most cooks learn on the job, often starting in prep or dishwashing roles. Culinary school or apprenticeship programs can speed advancement, especially in upscale kitchens.
Salary by State
Geographic salary comparison
| State | Avg Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $47,200 | +21.9% |
| Hawaii | $47,080 | +21.6% |
| District of Columbia | $45,570 | +17.7% |
| Massachusetts | $45,450 | +17.4% |
| Maine | $45,240 | +16.8% |
| California | $45,020 | +16.2% |
| Oregon | $44,130 | +13.9% |
| Vermont | $43,680 | +12.8% |
| New York | $43,150 | +11.4% |
| Colorado | $42,360 | +9.4% |
| Nevada | $42,130 | +8.8% |
| Connecticut | $42,110 | +8.7% |
| New Hampshire | $41,990 | +8.4% |
| Alaska | $41,770 | +7.8% |
| New Jersey | $40,770 | +5.3% |
| Rhode Island | $40,290 | +4.0% |
| Minnesota | $40,210 | +3.8% |
| Maryland | $40,120 | +3.6% |
| Arizona | $40,070 | +3.5% |
| Illinois | $39,520 | +2.0% |
| Delaware | $39,190 | +1.2% |
| Montana | $38,980 | +0.6% |
| Missouri | $38,460 | -0.7% |
| Florida | $38,320 | -1.1% |
| Virginia | $38,180 | -1.4% |
| Wyoming | $37,950 | -2.0% |
| Michigan | $37,570 | -3.0% |
| Utah | $37,340 | -3.6% |
| Nebraska | $37,190 | -4.0% |
| Idaho | $36,970 | -4.5% |
| South Dakota | $36,720 | -5.2% |
| North Dakota | $36,690 | -5.3% |
| Wisconsin | $36,690 | -5.3% |
| Tennessee | $36,530 | -5.7% |
| Pennsylvania | $35,750 | -7.7% |
| Iowa | $35,700 | -7.8% |
| South Carolina | $35,610 | -8.1% |
| Ohio | $35,280 | -8.9% |
| North Carolina | $35,140 | -9.3% |
| New Mexico | $35,070 | -9.5% |
| Kansas | $34,900 | -9.9% |
| Georgia | $34,430 | -11.1% |
| Indiana | $34,150 | -11.8% |
| Oklahoma | $33,920 | -12.4% |
| Kentucky | $33,700 | -13.0% |
| Texas | $33,370 | -13.8% |
| Alabama | $33,000 | -14.8% |
| Arkansas | $31,650 | -18.3% |
| West Virginia | $30,950 | -20.1% |
| Louisiana | $30,630 | -20.9% |
| Mississippi | $29,770 | -23.1% |
What Factors Affect Cooks Restaurant Salary?
Key factors affecting compensation
Pay for Cooks Restaurant is influenced by geographic location, years of experience, employer type, and educational background. Location alone is a large factor: Washington pays an average of $47,200, while Mississippi pays $29,770 — a gap of $17,430 per year.
Upscale restaurants, hotels, and busy urban markets pay more than casual dining. Advancing to sous chef or head chef is the main path to substantially higher pay, and those roles are counted under separate occupation codes.
These figures are the wages employers report to BLS: base pay plus commissions, production bonuses and tips. They exclude overtime pay, shift differentials, year-end bonuses, benefits and self-employed workers, so total compensation can be higher than the numbers shown.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) · May 2025
Compare with Similar Jobs
Related career salary benchmarks
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation $46,180/yr United States +19.2% vs this role
- Cooks Fast Food $32,390/yr United States 16.4% vs this role
- Cooks Institution and Cafeteria $38,810/yr United States +0.2% vs this role
- Bartenders $40,790/yr United States +5.3% vs this role
- Fast Food and Counter Workers $32,150/yr United States 17.0% vs this role
- Waiters and Waitresses $40,060/yr United States +3.4% vs this role
- Registered Nurses $101,420/yr United States +161.9% vs this role
- Nurse Practitioners $137,300/yr United States +254.5% vs this role
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this salary
What is the average salary for Cooks Restaurant?
The average salary for Cooks Restaurant in the United States is $38,730 per year, with a median of $37,390.
What is the starting salary for Cooks Restaurant?
Entry-level Cooks Restaurant typically earn between $28,700 and $34,010 per year depending on location and employer.
What state pays Cooks Restaurant the most?
Washington pays Cooks Restaurant the most at $47,200 per year on average, followed by Hawaii ($47,080) and District of Columbia ($45,570).
How much do Cooks Restaurant make per hour?
Based on the average annual salary of $38,730, Cooks Restaurant earn approximately $18.62 per hour (based on 2,080 working hours/year).
Is Cooks Restaurant a good career in 2026?
BLS counts 1,409,890 Cooks Restaurant jobs in the United States, with a mean annual wage of $38,730 and a median of $37,390 (OEWS May 2025). This site does not publish job-growth projections; the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook covers the outlook for each occupation.
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