Cooks, Restaurant Salary
BLS May 2025 median wages — with computed take-home after taxes for all 51 reporting states. Tax year 2026.
Quick answer
According to payandtaxes.com's analysis of BLS May 2025 data, the median cooks, restaurant in the US earns $37,390 per year (1,409,890 employed). Gross pay is highest in Washington ($46,800) and lowest in Louisiana ($29,050) — but what you keep depends on the state's taxes; see the table.
Cooks, Restaurant pay by stategross median vs take-home
| State | Median wage | After taxes | Monthly net | Kept | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooks, Restaurant in Washington | $46,800 | $39,784 | $3,315 | 85% | 35,140 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Washington DC | $46,130 | $37,644 | $3,137 | 81.6% | 7,720 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Massachusetts | $45,600 | $36,760 | $3,063 | 80.6% | 29,570 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Hawaii | $45,420 | $36,721 | $3,060 | 80.8% | 11,090 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Vermont | $45,390 | $37,564 | $3,130 | 82.8% | 2,360 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Maine | $45,290 | $36,695 | $3,058 | 81% | 5,130 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in California | $44,880 | $37,457 | $3,121 | 83.5% | 152,250 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in New York | $43,680 | $35,515 | $2,960 | 81.3% | 71,530 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Oregon | $43,100 | $33,869 | $2,822 | 78.6% | 21,550 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Colorado | $41,600 | $34,484 | $2,874 | 82.9% | 30,600 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in New Hampshire | $40,200 | $34,481 | $2,873 | 85.8% | 7,190 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Alaska | $40,140 | $34,433 | $2,869 | 85.8% | 2,350 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Connecticut | $39,480 | $33,051 | $2,754 | 83.7% | 14,830 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Arizona | $38,670 | $32,493 | $2,708 | 84% | 30,870 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Nevada | $38,610 | $33,203 | $2,767 | 86% | 27,250 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Minnesota | $38,590 | $31,941 | $2,662 | 82.8% | 26,080 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in New Jersey | $38,460 | $32,454 | $2,705 | 84.4% | 28,800 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Montana | $38,060 | $31,729 | $2,644 | 83.4% | 7,580 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Delaware | $37,840 | $31,161 | $2,597 | 82.3% | 5,280 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Maryland | $37,820 | $31,136 | $2,595 | 82.3% | 17,690 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Illinois | $37,580 | $30,660 | $2,555 | 81.6% | 53,540 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Nebraska | $37,030 | $31,128 | $2,594 | 84.1% | 4,750 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Florida | $37,020 | $31,926 | $2,660 | 86.2% | 124,040 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Michigan | $36,980 | $30,573 | $2,548 | 82.7% | 39,100 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Missouri | $36,940 | $31,062 | $2,589 | 84.1% | 25,990 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Wyoming | $36,830 | $31,773 | $2,648 | 86.3% | 2,710 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Virginia | $36,750 | $30,410 | $2,534 | 82.7% | 40,310 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Pennsylvania | $36,580 | $30,449 | $2,537 | 83.2% | 54,100 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Wisconsin | $36,550 | $30,721 | $2,560 | 84.1% | 25,410 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Rhode Island | $36,510 | $30,764 | $2,564 | 84.3% | 6,950 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Utah | $36,490 | $29,858 | $2,488 | 81.8% | 10,520 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in North Dakota | $36,470 | $31,484 | $2,624 | 86.3% | 4,490 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Idaho | $36,440 | $30,637 | $2,553 | 84.1% | 8,130 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Tennessee | $36,420 | $31,443 | $2,620 | 86.3% | 28,220 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in South Dakota | $36,220 | $31,283 | $2,607 | 86.4% | 1,890 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Georgia | $35,940 | $29,815 | $2,485 | 83% | 46,350 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in South Carolina | $35,740 | $29,910 | $2,492 | 83.7% | 25,890 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Iowa | $35,670 | $30,137 | $2,511 | 84.5% | 12,270 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Ohio | $35,540 | $30,541 | $2,545 | 85.9% | 46,910 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in North Carolina | $35,400 | $29,720 | $2,477 | 84% | 50,150 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Indiana | $35,170 | $29,431 | $2,453 | 83.7% | 26,960 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Kansas | $35,130 | $29,244 | $2,437 | 83.2% | 11,620 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in New Mexico | $35,020 | $29,780 | $2,482 | 85% | 7,810 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Texas | $34,760 | $30,110 | $2,509 | 86.6% | 126,620 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Kentucky | $34,640 | $28,918 | $2,410 | 83.5% | 13,510 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Alabama | $32,180 | $26,693 | $2,224 | 82.9% | 16,260 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Oklahoma | $31,720 | $26,785 | $2,232 | 84.4% | 17,050 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Arkansas | $30,180 | $25,465 | $2,122 | 84.4% | 11,270 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in West Virginia | $29,590 | $25,203 | $2,100 | 85.2% | 6,450 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Mississippi | $29,560 | $25,481 | $2,123 | 86.2% | 10,770 |
| Cooks, Restaurant in Louisiana | $29,050 | $25,036 | $2,086 | 86.2% | 14,910 |
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