Cooks, Restaurant pay in Texas
$33,370avg. a year
$16.04 an hour · 126,620 employed
Cooks, Restaurant in Texas earn an average of $33,370 a year. That is $5,360 (14%) less than the U.S. average of $38,730. The best-paying metro area is Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX at $36,430.
$34,760Median pay
$16.04Average hourly
+30%Avg. pay since 2020
#46Of 50 states + D.C.
Top-paying Texas metro areas
Average pay for cooks, restaurant by metro area. Swipe to see all 25.
113,000 jobs
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
$36,430
$17.52 an hour
234,430 jobs
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$35,860
$17.24 an hour
3900 jobs
Midland, TX
$34,460
$16.57 an hour
4840 jobs
Odessa, TX
$33,210
$15.97 an hour
510,860 jobs
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
$32,980
$15.85 an hour
632,710 jobs
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$32,970
$15.85 an hour
7510 jobs
Sherman-Denison, TX
$32,220
$15.49 an hour
81,410 jobs
College Station-Bryan, TX
$31,660
$15.22 an hour
91,140 jobs
Waco, TX
$31,420
$15.10 an hour
101,480 jobs
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
$31,210
$15.01 an hour
112,130 jobs
Corpus Christi, TX
$31,120
$14.96 an hour
121,300 jobs
Amarillo, TX
$30,880
$14.85 an hour
13730 jobs
Abilene, TX
$30,710
$14.77 an hour
141,340 jobs
Killeen-Temple, TX
$30,670
$14.74 an hour
151,050 jobs
Tyler, TX
$30,640
$14.73 an hour
16920 jobs
Longview, TX
$30,520
$14.67 an hour
171,700 jobs
Lubbock, TX
$30,420
$14.63 an hour
18510 jobs
San Angelo, TX
$30,420
$14.62 an hour
19520 jobs
Wichita Falls, TX
$30,010
$14.43 an hour
20340 jobs
Victoria, TX
$29,760
$14.31 an hour
21640 jobs
Texarkana, TX-AR
$29,380
$14.13 an hour
223,550 jobs
El Paso, TX
$28,970
$13.93 an hour
231,510 jobs
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
$28,230
$13.57 an hour
242,590 jobs
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
$28,010
$13.47 an hour
251,060 jobs
Laredo, TX
$27,710
$13.32 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 in Texas, charted
Pay over time
Texas, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where Texas cooks, restaurant work
Employment by metro area, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · Texas highlighted · tap a state
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Under $35k$35k–$38k$38k–$42k$42k+Texas
Texas vs. neighbors
Average pay, May 2025
| Area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $38,730 | $18.62 |
| Texas | $33,370 | $16.04 |
| New Mexico | $35,070 | $16.86 |
| Oklahoma | $33,920 | $16.31 |
| Arkansas | $31,650 | $15.22 |
| Louisiana | $30,630 | $14.73 |
Related jobs in Texas
- Food Preparation Workers$32,120
- Cooks, Fast Food$29,680
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria$34,870
- Cooks, All Other$33,130
- Fast Food and Counter Workers$27,750
- Waiters and Waitresses$29,750
Average pay, Texas, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Questions and answers
How much do cooks, restaurant make in Texas?
The average is $33,370 a year, and the median is $34,760. That is $5,360 (14%) less than the U.S. average of $38,730.
What is the hourly wage in Texas?
$16.04 an hour on average; the median is $16.71.
Where in Texas do they earn the most?
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX ($36,430), followed by Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX ($35,860). The lowest average among 25 metro areas with data is Laredo, TX ($27,710).
How does Texas rank?
Texas ranks #46 of 51 states (including D.C.) with published data for this job, by average pay.
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. State rank compares average pay across states with published data. Metro figures cover metropolitan statistical areas; a metro area can cross state lines. See also the national cooks, restaurant page. 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.