Cooks, Restaurant pay in Louisville/Jefferson County
$35,360avg. a year
$17.00 an hour · 5,390 employed
Cooks, Restaurant in the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area earn an average of $35,360 a year. That is $1,660 (5%) more than the Kentucky average of $33,700. The U.S. average is $38,730.
$35,950Median pay
$17.00Average hourly
+5%vs. Kentucky average
5,390Jobs in this metro
Other Kentucky metro areas
Average pay for cooks, restaurant in other Kentucky metro areas. Swipe to see all 8.
110,810 jobs
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
$35,010
$16.83 an hour
22,300 jobs
Lexington-Fayette, KY
$34,740
$16.70 an hour
3880 jobs
Clarksville, TN-KY
$33,520
$16.12 an hour
4570 jobs
Bowling Green, KY
$32,510
$15.63 an hour
5490 jobs
Paducah, KY-IL
$32,510
$15.63 an hour
6440 jobs
Owensboro, KY
$32,240
$15.50 an hour
7370 jobs
Elizabethtown, KY
$31,580
$15.18 an hour
81,090 jobs
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
$30,570
$14.70 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.
How Louisville/Jefferson County compares
Pay range: metro vs. state vs. U.S.
Annual wage percentiles, May 2025
This metroKentuckyU.S.
Kentucky metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 · this metro highlighted
Related jobs in Louisville/Jefferson County
| Job | Avg. pay in this metro |
|---|---|
| Food Preparation Workers | $31,570 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | $26,590 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $28,750 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $36,360 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $43,970 |
| Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | $38,550 |
Questions and answers
How much do cooks, restaurant make in Louisville/Jefferson County?
The average is $35,360 a year, and the median is $35,950. About 5,390 people work in this job in the metro area.
Is that more than the Kentucky average?
That is $1,660 (5%) more than the Kentucky average of $33,700.
Is this job common in Louisville/Jefferson County?
It makes up 7.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the metro area, 0.87 times the national share.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, occupation code 35-2014. Metro area: Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metropolitan statistical area (BLS area code 31140). Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.