What are the top 10 cities with the highest pay for Restaurant Cook?

We've identified 10 cities in the United States where Restaurant Cook jobs typically pay above the area average. Topping the list is Felton, CA (27.1% above average), followed by Jackson, WY and Nome, AK. City Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Felton, CA $35,084 $2,923 $674 $16.87 Jackson, WY $34,786 $2,898 $668 $16.72 Nome, AK $34,234 $2,852 $658 $16.46 Berkeley, CA $33,791 $2,815 $649 $16.25 Berlin Corners, VT $33,730 $2,810 $648 $16.22 Ketchikan, AK $33,572 $2,797 $645 $16.14 Sitka, AK $33,246 $2,770 $639 $15.98 Shannock, RI $32,972 $2,747 $634 $15.85 Huntington Beach, CA $32,906 $2,742 $632 $15.82 San Francisco, CA $32,514 $2,709 $625 $15.63

Restaurant Cook

Restaurant Cook Salary

Q: How much does a Restaurant Cook make?

The average annual pay for a restaurant cook in the United States is $27,597 a year — that works out to approximately $13.27 an hour. The middle 80% of Restaurant Cooks earn between $20,000 (10th percentile) and $33,000 (90th percentile) per year, depending on experience and employer.

Q: What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Restaurant Cook Jobs in the United States?

We found several jobs related to Restaurant Cook in the United States that pay more on average. Topping the list is Medical Line at $15,474 (56.1%) above Restaurant Cook. Job Title Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Medical Line $43,071 $3,589 $828 $20.71 Banquet Cook $40,497 $3,374 $778 $19.47 Line Leader $38,816 $3,234 $746 $18.66 Breakfast Cook $33,453 $2,787 $643 $16.08 Fry Cook $29,359 $2,446 $564 $14.11

$18.5K

$28K

$36K

$27,597

/year

$13.27

/hour

Restaurant Cook Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$27,597

Columbus

Ohio

$26,656

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How much does a Restaurant Cook make?

As of Aug 14, 2026, the average annual pay for a Restaurant Cook in the United States is $27,597 a year.

Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $13.27 an hour. This is the equivalent of $530/week or $2,299/month.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $36,000 and as low as $18,500, the majority of Restaurant Cook salaries currently range between $24,000 (25th percentile) to $31,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $33,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Restaurant Cook varies greatly (by as much as 7000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

A Restaurant Cook in your area makes on average $26,656 per year, or $941 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $27,597. Ohio ranks number 43 out of 50 states nationwide for Restaurant Cook salaries.

To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Restaurant Cook jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

Find your next high paying job as a Restaurant Cook on ZipRecruiter today.

What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Restaurant Cook Jobs

We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Restaurant Cook job is above the national average. Topping the list is Felton, CA, , with Jackson, WY, and Nome, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Nome, AK, beats the national average by $6,637 (24.0%), and Felton, CA, furthers that trend with another $7,487 (27.1%) above the $27,597 average.

With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Restaurant Cook appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 7% between Felton, CA, and San Francisco, 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 Restaurant Cook role.

City	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Felton, CA	$35,084	$2,923	$674	$16.87
Jackson, WY	$34,786	$2,898	$668	$16.72
Nome, AK	$34,234	$2,852	$658	$16.46
Berkeley, CA	$33,791	$2,815	$649	$16.25
Berlin Corners, VT	$33,730	$2,810	$648	$16.22
Ketchikan, AK	$33,572	$2,797	$645	$16.14
Sitka, AK	$33,246	$2,770	$639	$15.98
Shannock, RI	$32,972	$2,747	$634	$15.85
Huntington Beach, CA	$32,906	$2,742	$632	$15.82
San Francisco, CA	$32,514	$2,709	$625	$15.63

What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Restaurant Cook Jobs in the U.S.

We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Restaurant Cook category.

For example Medical Line jobs pay as much as $15,474 (56.1%) more than the average Restaurant Cook salary of $27,597. If you're qualified, finding work as a Medical Line may help you make more money than that of the average Restaurant Cook position.

Job Title	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Medical Line	$43,071	$3,589	$828	$20.71
Banquet Cook	$40,497	$3,374	$778	$19.47
Line Leader	$38,816	$3,234	$746	$18.66
Breakfast Cook	$33,453	$2,787	$643	$16.08
Fry Cook	$29,359	$2,446	$564	$14.11

About Our Data

ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

Infographic detailing Restaurant Cook salary across the United States as of August 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $27,597 per year or $13.27 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.

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