Cooks, Restaurant pay in Raleigh-Cary
$36,350avg. a year
$17.48 an hour · 7,160 employed
Cooks, Restaurant in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area earn an average of $36,350 a year. That is $1,210 (3%) more than the North Carolina average of $35,140. The U.S. average is $38,730.
$36,280Median pay
$17.48Average hourly
+3%vs. North Carolina average
7,160Jobs in this metro
Other North Carolina metro areas
Average pay for cooks, restaurant in other North Carolina metro areas. Swipe to see all 15.
114,430 jobs
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
$37,110
$17.84 an hour
22,480 jobs
Asheville, NC
$37,000
$17.79 an hour
38,380 jobs
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
$36,530
$17.56 an hour
42,660 jobs
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
$36,050
$17.33 an hour
5670 jobs
Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC
$34,630
$16.65 an hour
63,440 jobs
Wilmington, NC
$34,140
$16.41 an hour
73,250 jobs
Greensboro-High Point, NC
$34,040
$16.37 an hour
82,580 jobs
Winston-Salem, NC
$33,630
$16.17 an hour
9740 jobs
Burlington, NC
$33,300
$16.01 an hour
10890 jobs
Greenville, NC
$33,130
$15.93 an hour
111,410 jobs
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC
$32,880
$15.81 an hour
121,210 jobs
Fayetteville, NC
$32,640
$15.69 an hour
13420 jobs
Goldsboro, NC
$32,070
$15.42 an hour
14420 jobs
Rocky Mount, NC
$31,590
$15.19 an hour
15730 jobs
Jacksonville, NC
$31,050
$14.93 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 Raleigh-Cary compares
Pay range: metro vs. state vs. U.S.
Annual wage percentiles, May 2025
This metroNorth CarolinaU.S.
North Carolina metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 · this metro highlighted
Related jobs in Raleigh-Cary
| Job | Avg. pay in this metro |
|---|---|
| Food Preparation Workers | $31,160 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | $28,070 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $30,030 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $39,430 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $47,410 |
| Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | $37,090 |
Questions and answers
How much do cooks, restaurant make in Raleigh-Cary?
The average is $36,350 a year, and the median is $36,280. About 7,160 people work in this job in the metro area.
Is that more than the North Carolina average?
That is $1,210 (3%) more than the North Carolina average of $35,140.
Is this job common in Raleigh-Cary?
It makes up 9.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the metro area, 1.06 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: Raleigh-Cary, NC metropolitan statistical area (BLS area code 39580). 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.