Lead Cook
Lead Cook Salary
$23K - $26K
1% of jobs
$26K - $29K
2% of jobs
$29K - $32K
7% of jobs
$32K - $35K
10% of jobs
$35.7K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$35K - $38K
16% of jobs
The median wage is $40.5K / yr.
$38K - $41K
15% of jobs
$41K - $44K
17% of jobs
$45.5K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$44K - $47K
10% of jobs
$47K - $50K
10% of jobs
$50K - $53K
6% of jobs
$53K - $56K
4% of jobs
$23K
$39.5K
$53.5K
$39,979
/year
$19.22
/hour
Lead Cook Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$39,979
Columbus
Ohio
$38,615
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How much does a Lead Cook make?
As of Aug 13, 2026, the average annual pay for a Lead Cook in the United States is $39,979 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $19.22 an hour. This is the equivalent of $768/week or $3,331/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $53,500 and as low as $23,000, the majority of Lead Cook salaries currently range between $34,500 (25th percentile) to $44,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $50,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Lead 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 Lead Cook in your area makes on average $38,615 per year, or $1,364 (3.412%) less than the national average annual salary of $39,979. Ohio ranks number 31 out of 50 states nationwide for Lead Cook salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Lead Cook jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Lead Cook on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Lead Cook Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Lead Cook job is above the national average. Topping the list is Ione, CA, , with Barrow, AK, and Berkeley, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Berkeley, CA, beats the national average by $8,973 (22.4%), and Ione, CA, furthers that trend with another $17,283 (43.2%) above the $39,979 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Lead Cook appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
However, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies modestly at 19% between Ione, CA, and San Francisco, CA, , suggesting it may be difficult to see much positive wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may help determine the balance between location and salary for a Lead Cook role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Ione, CA | $57,262 | $27.53 |
Barrow, AK | $49,804 | $23.94 |
Berkeley, CA | $48,952 | $23.53 |
Columbia, WA | $48,831 | $23.48 |
Princeville, HI | $48,345 | $23.24 |
Sitka, AK | $48,162 | $23.15 |
Sunnyvale, CA | $47,650 | $22.91 |
Mountain View, CA | $47,138 | $22.66 |
Palo Alto, CA | $47,115 | $22.65 |
San Francisco, CA | $47,026 | $22.61 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Lead Cook Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Lead Cook job category, we found that Head Cook jobs have average salaries similar than Lead Cook jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Head Cook | $38,058 | $18.30 |
Fpl Helper | $37,856 | $18.20 |
Cook 1 | $36,873 | $17.73 |
Assistant Cook | $33,260 | $15.99 |
Restaurant Cook | $27,597 | $13.27 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
