Kitchen Cook Salary
$18.5K - $21K
3% of jobs
$21K - $23.5K
5% of jobs
$23.5K - $26K
8% of jobs
$28.4K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$26K - $28.5K
10% of jobs
$28.5K - $31K
14% of jobs
The median wage is $32.7K / yr.
$31K - $33.5K
16% of jobs
$33.5K - $36K
15% of jobs
$37.1K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$36K - $38.5K
12% of jobs
$38.5K - $41K
9% of jobs
$41K - $43.5K
6% of jobs
$43.5K - $46K
4% of jobs
$18.5K
$33K
$46K
$33,340
/year
$16.03
/hour
Kitchen Cook Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$33,340
Columbus
Ohio
$32,203
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How much does a Kitchen Cook make?
As of Jul 16, 2026, the average annual pay for a Kitchen Cook in the United States is $33,340 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $16.03 an hour. This is the equivalent of $641/week or $2,778/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $46,000 and as low as $18,500, the majority of Kitchen Cook salaries currently range between $28,000 (25th percentile) to $37,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $42,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Kitchen Cook varies greatly (by as much as 9500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Kitchen Cook in your area makes on average $32,203 per year, or $1,137 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $33,340. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Kitchen Cook salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Kitchen Cook jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Kitchen Cook on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Kitchen Cook Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Kitchen Cook job is above the national average. Topping the list is New London, NH, , with San Francisco, CA, and Berkeley, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Berkeley, CA, beats the national average by $7,483 (22.4%), and New London, NH, furthers that trend with another $9,489 (28.5%) above the $33,340 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Kitchen Cook appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 8% between New London, NH, 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 Kitchen Cook role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
New London, NH | $42,829 | $20.59 |
San Francisco, CA | $40,915 | $19.67 |
Berkeley, CA | $40,823 | $19.63 |
Berlin Corners, VT | $40,748 | $19.59 |
Natick, MA | $40,323 | $19.39 |
Aspen, CO | $40,299 | $19.37 |
Sitka, AK | $40,164 | $19.31 |
San Jose, CA | $39,496 | $18.99 |
Santa Clara, CA | $39,374 | $18.93 |
Sunnyvale, CA | $39,249 | $18.87 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Kitchen Cook Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Kitchen Cook category.
For example Head Cook jobs pay as much as $4,718 (14.2%) more than the average Kitchen Cook salary of $33,340. If you're qualified, finding work as a Head Cook may help you make more money than that of the average Kitchen Cook position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Head Cook | $38,058 | $18.30 |
Nyc Sanitation Starting | $35,529 | $17.08 |
Military Cook | $33,590 | $16.15 |
Assistant Cook | $33,260 | $15.99 |
Restaurant Line Cook | $32,189 | $15.48 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
