Cooks, Restaurant Wages
SOC 35-2014 • Full occupation profile
The median annual wage for Cooks, Restaurant is $35,780 nationally (2023 BLS OEWS). The 10th percentile is $26,980 and the 90th percentile is $46,420, showing the wide spread of wages in this occupation.
National Wage Distribution (2023)
Employment
1,412,350
P10
$26,980
P25
$29,860
Median
$35,780
P75
$39,630
P90
$46,420
National Wage Trend
How national median and mean wages for Cooks, Restaurant have moved across BLS OEWS release years.
| Year | Median | Mean | P10 | P90 | Employment | YoY Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $35,780 | $36,060 | $26,980 | $46,420 | 1,412,350 | — |
| 2022 | $34,110 | $33,940 | $23,610 | $44,570 | 1,321,480 | -4.67% |
| 2021 | $30,010 | $31,630 | $22,550 | $39,090 | 1,193,860 | -12.02% |
| 2020 | $28,800 | $29,530 | $20,100 | $39,840 | 1,109,650 | -4.03% |
Wages by State (2023)
State-level OEWS wage estimates for Cooks, Restaurant. The highest median is in Vermont at $44,000, 23% above the U.S. median.
| Area | Median Annual | vs National | Mean Annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont | $44,000 | +23% | $42,390 | 2,500 |
| Washington | $43,990 | +22.9% | $44,410 | 30,050 |
| Massachusetts | $43,560 | +21.7% | $43,420 | 31,620 |
| Hawaii | $41,500 | +16% | $45,060 | 12,120 |
| California | $41,400 | +15.7% | $42,650 | 145,810 |
| New York | $39,110 | +9.3% | $41,950 | 67,870 |
| Maine | $38,700 | +8.2% | $41,060 | 5,250 |
| Colorado | $38,130 | +6.6% | $40,760 | 33,120 |
| District of Columbia | $38,120 | +6.5% | $41,570 | 6,960 |
| New Hampshire | $37,930 | +6% | $39,310 | 6,520 |
| Rhode Island | $37,850 | +5.8% | $39,350 | 6,890 |
| Minnesota | $37,480 | +4.8% | $37,890 | 27,440 |
| Arizona | $37,460 | +4.7% | $39,070 | 28,400 |
| New Jersey | $37,250 | +4.1% | $39,600 | 26,690 |
| Alaska | $37,160 | +3.9% | $39,940 | 2,230 |
| Utah | $37,120 | +3.7% | $36,440 | 11,300 |
| Connecticut | $36,830 | +2.9% | $38,540 | 14,430 |
| Oregon | $36,690 | +2.5% | $38,000 | 18,740 |
| Nevada | $36,490 | +2% | $38,930 | 25,540 |
| Illinois | $36,300 | +1.5% | $36,900 | 54,010 |
| Wisconsin | $35,870 | +0.3% | $35,240 | 25,520 |
| Maryland | $35,810 | +0.1% | $37,190 | 20,660 |
| North Dakota | $35,340 | -1.2% | $34,920 | 4,130 |
| Michigan | $35,250 | -1.5% | $34,660 | 37,090 |
| Nebraska | $35,230 | -1.5% | $34,720 | 4,960 |
| Florida | $35,120 | -1.8% | $35,190 | 130,820 |
| Virginia | $34,890 | -2.5% | $34,600 | 38,210 |
| Montana | $34,880 | -2.5% | $35,010 | 6,810 |
| Tennessee | $34,260 | -4.2% | $33,290 | 29,160 |
| Idaho | $34,160 | -4.5% | $31,790 | 7,670 |
| North Carolina | $34,020 | -4.9% | $33,550 | 47,380 |
| South Dakota | $33,940 | -5.1% | $33,420 | 1,410 |
| Missouri | $33,630 | -6% | $34,000 | 32,850 |
| Delaware | $33,560 | -6.2% | $33,990 | 5,720 |
| Kansas | $32,310 | -9.7% | $32,280 | 11,210 |
| Pennsylvania | $32,210 | -10% | $32,560 | 54,980 |
| Iowa | $32,090 | -10.3% | $32,470 | 12,750 |
| South Carolina | $31,870 | -10.9% | $32,770 | 27,070 |
| Ohio | $30,980 | -13.4% | $32,070 | 51,180 |
| Texas | $30,600 | -14.5% | $31,510 | 123,920 |
| Indiana | $30,580 | -14.5% | $32,070 | 26,170 |
| Georgia | $30,400 | -15% | $30,990 | 50,770 |
| Wyoming | $30,370 | -15.1% | $34,340 | 3,110 |
| New Mexico | $30,150 | -15.7% | $31,790 | 9,350 |
| Oklahoma | $29,910 | -16.4% | $30,820 | 15,760 |
| Kentucky | $29,400 | -17.8% | $30,880 | 15,170 |
| Mississippi | $28,950 | -19.1% | $29,010 | 9,740 |
| Alabama | $28,940 | -19.1% | $30,060 | 17,450 |
| Arkansas | $28,880 | -19.3% | $30,000 | 11,880 |
| Louisiana | $28,710 | -19.8% | $29,270 | 14,920 |
| West Virginia | $28,100 | -21.5% | $28,090 | 7,060 |