United States
Cooks, Restaurant salary in the United States
Median annual pay
$36,830
Cooks, Restaurant in the United States earns a median of $36,830 a year, about $17.71 an hour.
Median
$36,830
per year
Hourly
$17.71
as published
Mean
$37,730
pulled up by top earners
Workers
1,452,130
in this occupation
Where it pays more in the United States
Median pay for this occupation by area, highest-employing first.
| Area | Type | Median | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | State | $44,290 | +20% |
| Florida | State | $36,300 | -1% |
| Texas | State | $34,050 | -8% |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Metro | $41,980 | +14% |
| New York | State | $39,890 | +8% |
| Illinois | State | $36,630 | -1% |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Metro | $44,700 | +21% |
| Pennsylvania | State | $35,340 | -4% |
| North Carolina | State | $35,240 | -4% |
| Ohio | State | $34,750 | -6% |
| Georgia | State | $35,090 | -5% |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Metro | $37,090 | +1% |
| Virginia | State | $36,580 | -1% |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | Metro | $36,160 | -2% |
| Michigan | State | $36,560 | -1% |
| Washington | State | $44,980 | +22% |
| Arizona | State | $37,940 | +3% |
| Colorado | State | $39,170 | +6% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | Metro | $36,200 | -2% |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | Metro | $33,760 | -8% |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | Metro | $36,600 | -1% |
| Massachusetts | State | $46,280 | +26% |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | Metro | $42,050 | +14% |
| New Jersey | State | $38,080 | +3% |
| Missouri | State | $35,320 | -4% |
Regional figures come from the same release as the national one. Where an area is missing, the source suppressed it for sample-size reasons rather than reporting an unreliable estimate.
How United States measured this
Employer payroll survey of ~1.1m establishments
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 · Public domain (US Government work)
Related occupations in the United States
- Fast Food and Counter Workers $30,480
- Waiters and Waitresses $33,760
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $42,010
- Food Preparation Workers $34,220
- Bartenders $33,530
- Cooks, Fast Food $30,160
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers $32,670
- Dishwashers $33,670
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria $36,450
- Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop $30,380
- Food Servers, Nonrestaurant $34,460
- Chefs and Head Cooks $60,990