Professional 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
Professional Cook Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$33,340
Columbus
Ohio
$32,203
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How much does a Professional Cook make?
As of Aug 9, 2026, the average annual pay for a Professional 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 Professional 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 Professional 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 Professional 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 39 out of 50 states nationwide for Professional Cook salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Professional Cook jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Professional Cook on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Professional Cook Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Professional Cook job is above the national average. Topping the list is Berkeley, CA, , with Berlin Corners, VT, and Natick, MA, close behind in the second and third positions. Natick, MA, beats the national average by $6,983 (20.9%), and Berkeley, CA, furthers that trend with another $7,483 (22.4%) 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 Professional Cook appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 4% between Berkeley, CA, and Livermore, 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 Professional Cook role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
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 |
Los Alamos, NM | $40,057 | $19.26 |
Sunnyvale, CA | $39,665 | $19.07 |
Santa Clara, CA | $39,374 | $18.93 |
San Francisco, CA | $39,315 | $18.90 |
Livermore, CA | $39,107 | $18.80 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Professional Cook Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Professional Cook category.
For example Junior Sous Chef jobs pay as much as $25,658 (77.0%) more than the average Professional Cook salary of $33,340. If you're qualified, finding work as a Junior Sous Chef may help you make more money than that of the average Professional Cook position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Junior Sous Chef | $58,998 | $28.36 |
Short Order Cook | $33,984 | $16.34 |
Production Cook | $33,509 | $16.11 |
Restaurant Line Cook | $32,189 | $15.48 |
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.
