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The national median salary for Cooks, Restaurant is $37,398 per year ($17.98/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $34,008 and $44,616 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $47,902 per year. There are approximately 1,409,890 cooks, restaurant employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Prepare, season, and cook dishes such as soups, meats, vegetables, or desserts in restaurants. May order supplies, keep records and accounts, price items on menu, or plan menu.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+14.9%
Much faster than average
Annual openings
251K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
1.5M
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
9% from new growth91% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
No formal educational credential
Experience
Less than 5 years
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Restaurants and Other Eating Places
NAICS 722500
1.2M
$37,140
Traveler Accommodation
NAICS 721100
76K
$44,290
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
NAICS 722400
40K
$37,090
Other Amusement and Recreation Industries
NAICS 713900
37K
$39,710
Special Food Services
NAICS 722300
27K
$39,650
Wage range across top 5 industries: $37,090 to $44,290 (19% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$13.80
$28,704
P25
$16.35
$34,008
P50MEDIAN
$17.98
$37,398
P75
$21.45
$44,616
P90
$23.03
$47,902
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · retail sector
Active
Openings Rate
4.6%
Quits Rate
3.1%
Retail openings rose to 737K (+52K) in March, rate up to 4.6%. Hires increased to 684K (+73K). Frontline turnover persists with quit rate at 3.1%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average cooks, restaurant salary?
The national median salary for Cooks, Restaurant is $37,398 per year ($17.98/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $34,008 and $44,616 annually.
How much do top-earning cooks, restaurant make?
The 90th percentile salary for Cooks, Restaurant is $47,902 per year ($23.03/hr). The 75th percentile is $44,616 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for cooks, restaurant?
Entry-level Cooks, Restaurant (10th percentile) earn approximately $28,704 per year ($13.80/hr). The 25th percentile is $34,008 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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