Cooks, Restaurant pay in the U.S.
$38,730avg. a year
$18.62 an hour · 1,409,890 employed
Cooks, Restaurant in the U.S. earn an average of $38,730 a year and a median of $37,390. Pay is highest in Washington ($47,200) and lowest in Mississippi ($29,770).
$37,390Median pay
$18.62Average hourly
+31%Avg. pay since 2020
1,409,890Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for cooks, restaurant
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
135,140 jobs
Washington
$47,200
$22.69 an hour
211,090 jobs
Hawaii
$47,080
$22.64 an hour
37,720 jobs
District of Columbia
$45,570
$21.91 an hour
429,570 jobs
Massachusetts
$45,450
$21.85 an hour
55,130 jobs
Maine
$45,240
$21.75 an hour
6152,250 jobs
California
$45,020
$21.65 an hour
721,550 jobs
Oregon
$44,130
$21.22 an hour
82,360 jobs
Vermont
$43,680
$21.00 an hour
971,530 jobs
New York
$43,150
$20.75 an hour
1030,600 jobs
Colorado
$42,360
$20.37 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Cooks, Restaurant pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $35k$35k–$38k$38k–$42k$42k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $54,460 | $26.18 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $49,390 | $23.75 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $49,000 | $23.56 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $48,630 | $23.38 |
| Napa, CA | $47,830 | $22.99 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | $46,830 | $22.52 |
| Portland-South Portland, ME | $46,670 | $22.44 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $46,520 | $22.36 |
Related jobs
- Food Preparation Workers$35,290
- Cooks, Fast Food$32,390
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria$38,810
- Cooks, Short Order$36,120
- Cooks, All Other$39,150
- Cooks, Private Household$53,680
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Cooks, Restaurant pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $33,000 | $32,180 | 16,260 |
| Alaska | $41,770 | $40,140 | 2,350 |
| Arizona | $40,070 | $38,670 | 30,870 |
| Arkansas | $31,650 | $30,180 | 11,270 |
| California | $45,020 | $44,880 | 152,250 |
| Colorado | $42,360 | $41,600 | 30,600 |
| Connecticut | $42,110 | $39,480 | 14,830 |
| Delaware | $39,190 | $37,840 | 5,280 |
| District of Columbia | $45,570 | $46,130 | 7,720 |
| Florida | $38,320 | $37,020 | 124,040 |
| Georgia | $34,430 | $35,940 | 46,350 |
| Hawaii | $47,080 | $45,420 | 11,090 |
| Idaho | $36,970 | $36,440 | 8,130 |
| Illinois | $39,520 | $37,580 | 53,540 |
| Indiana | $34,150 | $35,170 | 26,960 |
| Iowa | $35,700 | $35,670 | 12,270 |
| Kansas | $34,900 | $35,130 | 11,620 |
| Kentucky | $33,700 | $34,640 | 13,510 |
| Louisiana | $30,630 | $29,050 | 14,910 |
| Maine | $45,240 | $45,290 | 5,130 |
| Maryland | $40,120 | $37,820 | 17,690 |
| Massachusetts | $45,450 | $45,600 | 29,570 |
| Michigan | $37,570 | $36,980 | 39,100 |
| Minnesota | $40,210 | $38,590 | 26,080 |
| Mississippi | $29,770 | $29,560 | 10,770 |
| Missouri | $38,460 | $36,940 | 25,990 |
| Montana | $38,980 | $38,060 | 7,580 |
| Nebraska | $37,190 | $37,030 | 4,750 |
| Nevada | $42,130 | $38,610 | 27,250 |
| New Hampshire | $41,990 | $40,200 | 7,190 |
| New Jersey | $40,770 | $38,460 | 28,800 |
| New Mexico | $35,070 | $35,020 | 7,810 |
| New York | $43,150 | $43,680 | 71,530 |
| North Carolina | $35,140 | $35,400 | 50,150 |
| North Dakota | $36,690 | $36,470 | 4,490 |
| Ohio | $35,280 | $35,540 | 46,910 |
| Oklahoma | $33,920 | $31,720 | 17,050 |
| Oregon | $44,130 | $43,100 | 21,550 |
| Pennsylvania | $35,750 | $36,580 | 54,100 |
| Rhode Island | $40,290 | $36,510 | 6,950 |
| South Carolina | $35,610 | $35,740 | 25,890 |
| South Dakota | $36,720 | $36,220 | 1,890 |
| Tennessee | $36,530 | $36,420 | 28,220 |
| Texas | $33,370 | $34,760 | 126,620 |
| Utah | $37,340 | $36,490 | 10,520 |
| Vermont | $43,680 | $45,390 | 2,360 |
| Virginia | $38,180 | $36,750 | 40,310 |
| Washington | $47,200 | $46,800 | 35,140 |
| West Virginia | $30,950 | $29,590 | 6,450 |
| Wisconsin | $36,690 | $36,550 | 25,410 |
| Wyoming | $37,950 | $36,830 | 2,710 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$43,200
69,250 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$44,750
54,320 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$40,450
41,690 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$38,300
37,210 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$35,860
34,430 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$32,970
32,710 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$42,590
29,670 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$35,780
29,040 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do cooks, restaurant make?
The average is $38,730 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $37,390 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $18.62, and the median is $17.98 an hour.
Which state pays cooks, restaurant the most?
Washington, with an average of $47,200 a year. The best-paying metro area is Kahului-Wailuku, HI at $54,460.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $28,700 a year, and the top 10% earn over $47,900.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 35-2014. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.