Food Service Cook Salary
$18.5K - $21K
4% of jobs
$21K - $23.5K
7% of jobs
$23.5K - $26K
9% of jobs
$27.9K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$26K - $28.5K
7% of jobs
$28.5K - $31K
11% of jobs
The median wage is $32.7K / yr.
$31K - $33.5K
17% of jobs
$33.5K - $36K
15% of jobs
$36.9K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$36K - $38.5K
12% of jobs
$38.5K - $41K
7% of jobs
$41K - $43.5K
7% of jobs
$43.5K - $46K
4% of jobs
$18.5K
$32K
$45K
$32,570
/year
$15.66
/hour
Food Service Cook Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$32,570
Columbus
Ohio
$31,459
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How much does a Food Service Cook make?
As of Aug 12, 2026, the average annual pay for a Food Service Cook in the United States is $32,570 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $15.66 an hour. This is the equivalent of $626/week or $2,714/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $45,000 and as low as $18,500, the majority of Food Service Cook salaries currently range between $28,000 (25th percentile) to $36,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $41,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Food Service Cook varies greatly (by as much as 8500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Food Service Cook in your area makes on average $31,459 per year, or $1,111 (3.411%) less than the national average annual salary of $32,570. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Food Service Cook salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Food Service Cook jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Food Service Cook on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Food Service Cook Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Food Service Cook job is above the national average. Topping the list is Two Rivers, WI, , with New Lisbon, WI, and Nantucket, MA, close behind in the second and third positions. Nantucket, MA, beats the national average by $7,507 (23.0%), and Two Rivers, WI, furthers that trend with another $11,378 (34.9%) above the $32,570 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Food Service Cook appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 13% between Two Rivers, WI, and Sunnyvale, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Food Service Cook role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Two Rivers, WI | $43,948 | $21.13 |
New Lisbon, WI | $40,978 | $19.70 |
Nantucket, MA | $40,077 | $19.27 |
National, MD | $39,911 | $19.19 |
Berkeley, CA | $39,880 | $19.17 |
Redwood City, CA | $39,877 | $19.17 |
Berlin Corners, VT | $39,807 | $19.14 |
Sitka, AK | $39,236 | $18.86 |
Blythe, CA | $38,435 | $18.48 |
Sunnyvale, CA | $38,343 | $18.43 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Food Service Cook Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Food Service Cook category.
For example World Central Kitchen jobs pay as much as $19,127 (58.7%) more than the average Food Service Cook salary of $32,570. If you're qualified, finding work as a World Central Kitchen may help you make more money than that of the average Food Service Cook position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
World Central Kitchen | $51,697 | $24.85 |
Wolf | $40,786 | $19.61 |
Fpl Helper | $37,856 | $18.20 |
Cook 1 | $36,873 | $17.73 |
Military Cook | $33,590 | $16.15 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
