Restaurant cook earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level restaurant cook earnings begin at:

$20.72 per hour

$43,090 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level restaurant cook earnings begin at:

$18.25 per hour

$37,950 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level restaurant cook earnings begin at:

$15.67 per hour

$32,580 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level restaurant cook earnings begin at:

$13.82 per hour

$28,740 per year

10th percentile

Starting level restaurant cook earnings begin at:

$12.84 per hour

$26,710 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Restaurant cook salary by state

State Name Average Salary
District of Columbia $32,580
Massachusetts $32,430
Washington $31,950
Hawaii $31,491
New Jersey $30,870
Vermont $30,620
Rhode Island $30,130
Nevada $30,060
Oregon $29,340
New Hampshire $28,910
Minnesota $28,810
Wyoming $28,810
Maine $28,780
Virgin Islands, U.S. $28,630
New York $28,100
North Dakota $27,900
California $27,765
Nebraska $27,740
Maryland $27,550
Delaware $27,180
Colorado $26,929
Utah $26,900
Pennsylvania $26,510
Florida $26,434
South Dakota $26,260
Texas $25,400
Wisconsin $25,150
Virginia $24,930
Montana $24,650
Tennessee $24,370
Kansas $24,228
Michigan $24,215
Missouri $24,150
New Mexico $24,100
Oklahoma $24,000
Ohio $23,815
North Carolina $23,630
Alaska $23,427
Louisiana $23,230
Connecticut $22,971
South Carolina $22,840
Illinois $22,817
West Virginia $22,060
Georgia $21,962
Arizona $21,797
Mississippi $21,350
Iowa $21,202
Alabama $20,876
Idaho $20,777
Indiana $20,542
Kentucky $20,037
Guam $19,930
Arkansas $18,454
Puerto Rico $18,210

How do restaurant cook salaries compare to similar careers?

Restaurant cooks earn 21% less than similar careers in District of Columbia. On average, they make less than culinary chefs but more than food preparation workers.

Career Median Salary
Culinary chef salary $63K
Registered dietitian nutritionist salary $66K
Food server salary $30K
Bartender salary $37K
Butcher salary $44K
Restaurant cook salary $33K
Baker salary $30K
Food batchmaker salary $31K
Barista salary $29K
Food preparation worker salary $29K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)