Cooks, Restaurant pay in Columbus
$36,910avg. a year
$17.75 an hour · 8,600 employed
Cooks, Restaurant in the Columbus, OH metro area earn an average of $36,910 a year. That is $1,630 (5%) more than the Ohio average of $35,280. The U.S. average is $38,730.
$36,590Median pay
$17.75Average hourly
+5%vs. Ohio average
8,600Jobs in this metro
Other Ohio metro areas
Average pay for cooks, restaurant in other Ohio metro areas. Swipe to see all 14.
18,190 jobs
Cleveland, OH
$37,330
$17.95 an hour
21,570 jobs
Canton-Massillon, OH
$35,620
$17.12 an hour
32,820 jobs
Akron, OH
$35,300
$16.97 an hour
42,960 jobs
Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH
$35,200
$16.92 an hour
510,810 jobs
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
$35,010
$16.83 an hour
62,920 jobs
Toledo, OH
$34,830
$16.75 an hour
7320 jobs
Springfield, OH
$34,620
$16.64 an hour
8910 jobs
Sandusky, OH
$34,430
$16.56 an hour
9380 jobs
Lima, OH
$33,640
$16.17 an hour
101,600 jobs
Youngstown-Warren, OH
$33,450
$16.08 an hour
11480 jobs
Mansfield, OH
$33,000
$15.87 an hour
12320 jobs
Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH
$31,440
$15.12 an hour
13580 jobs
Wheeling, WV-OH
$31,190
$15.00 an hour
141,090 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 Columbus compares
Pay range: metro vs. state vs. U.S.
Annual wage percentiles, May 2025
This metroOhioU.S.
Ohio metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 · this metro highlighted
Related jobs in Columbus
| Job | Avg. pay in this metro |
|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $29,580 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $43,070 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $41,890 |
| Bartenders | $42,640 |
| Food Preparation Workers | $37,060 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | $28,260 |
Questions and answers
How much do cooks, restaurant make in Columbus?
The average is $36,910 a year, and the median is $36,590. About 8,600 people work in this job in the metro area.
Is that more than the Ohio average?
That is $1,630 (5%) more than the Ohio average of $35,280.
Is this job common in Columbus?
It makes up 7.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the metro area, 0.86 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: Columbus, OH metropolitan statistical area (BLS area code 18140). 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.