Pay by state · 54 states
Cook, Restaurant Salary by State (2026)
Cooks, Restaurant earn the most in Washington at $46,800 a year and the least in Guam at $22,950 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $37,390. All 54 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $46,800Washington
- National median
- $37,390BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $22,950Guam
- States reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Cook, Restaurant salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of cooks, restaurant OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WAWashington | $46,800 | $42,770 | $49,540 | 35,140 | $43,733 |
| 2 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $46,130 | $39,960 | $47,890 | 7,720 | $41,974 |
| 3 | MAMassachusetts | $45,600 | $38,370 | $49,040 | 29,570 | $43,118 |
| 4 | HIHawaii | $45,420 | $37,260 | $55,550 | 11,090 | $41,309 |
| 5 | VTVermont | $45,390 | $37,470 | $47,340 | 2,360 | $46,336 |
| 6 | MEMaine | $45,290 | $39,800 | $47,720 | 5,130 | $46,667 |
| 7 | CACalifornia | $44,880 | $38,590 | $47,330 | 152,250 | $40,535 |
| 8 | NYNew York | $43,680 | $37,100 | $46,530 | 71,530 | $40,474 |
| 9 | OROregon | $43,100 | $38,030 | $47,730 | 21,550 | $41,699 |
| 10 | COColorado | $41,600 | $36,930 | $45,740 | 30,600 | $40,368 |
| 11 | NHNew Hampshire | $40,200 | $37,190 | $46,850 | 7,190 | $38,593 |
| 12 | AKAlaska | $40,140 | $36,820 | $44,110 | 2,350 | $39,215 |
| 13 | CTConnecticut | $39,480 | $37,060 | $45,950 | 14,830 | $38,104 |
| 14 | AZArizona | $38,670 | $36,200 | $44,870 | 30,870 | $38,410 |
| 15 | NVNevada | $38,610 | $36,530 | $47,170 | 27,250 | $38,618 |
| 16 | MNMinnesota | $38,590 | $36,020 | $45,360 | 26,080 | $39,130 |
| 17 | NJNew Jersey | $38,460 | $35,880 | $45,600 | 28,800 | $35,348 |
| 18 | MTMontana | $38,060 | $35,100 | $43,910 | 7,580 | $40,213 |
| 19 | DEDelaware | $37,840 | $35,410 | $44,960 | 5,280 | $37,913 |
| 20 | MDMaryland | $37,820 | $36,520 | $43,980 | 17,690 | $36,033 |
| 21 | ILIllinois | $37,580 | $35,360 | $45,010 | 53,540 | $37,596 |
| 22 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $37,430 | $35,150 | $41,320 | 410 | N/A |
| 23 | NENebraska | $37,030 | $33,800 | $42,510 | 4,750 | $41,097 |
| 24 | FLFlorida | $37,020 | $35,050 | $42,850 | 124,040 | $35,798 |
| 25 | MIMichigan | $36,980 | $34,770 | $42,850 | 39,100 | $38,434 |
| 26 | MOMissouri | $36,940 | $30,790 | $42,720 | 25,990 | $40,675 |
| 27 | WYWyoming | $36,830 | $29,440 | $43,060 | 2,710 | $39,734 |
| 28 | VAVirginia | $36,750 | $33,270 | $42,990 | 40,310 | $36,349 |
| 29 | PAPennsylvania | $36,580 | $29,890 | $39,710 | 54,100 | $37,490 |
| 30 | WIWisconsin | $36,550 | $31,240 | $40,280 | 25,410 | $38,844 |
| 31 | RIRhode Island | $36,510 | $34,610 | $45,650 | 6,950 | $35,696 |
| 32 | UTUtah | $36,490 | $31,200 | $41,950 | 10,520 | $36,909 |
| 33 | NDNorth Dakota | $36,470 | $30,410 | $38,110 | 4,490 | $40,996 |
| 34 | IDIdaho | $36,440 | $29,850 | $42,450 | 8,130 | $38,159 |
| 35 | TNTennessee | $36,420 | $30,610 | $40,740 | 28,220 | $39,643 |
| 36 | SDSouth Dakota | $36,220 | $33,040 | $38,910 | 1,890 | $40,887 |
| 37 | GAGeorgia | $35,940 | $29,190 | $37,840 | 46,350 | $37,324 |
| 38 | SCSouth Carolina | $35,740 | $30,470 | $38,560 | 25,890 | $38,123 |
| 39 | IAIowa | $35,670 | $30,360 | $38,180 | 12,270 | $40,644 |
| 40 | OHOhio | $35,540 | $29,520 | $37,920 | 46,910 | $38,308 |
| 41 | NCNorth Carolina | $35,400 | $29,690 | $38,170 | 50,150 | $37,529 |
| 42 | INIndiana | $35,170 | $28,650 | $37,590 | 26,960 | $37,684 |
| 43 | KSKansas | $35,130 | $29,690 | $37,440 | 11,620 | $39,004 |
| 44 | NMNew Mexico | $35,020 | $30,220 | $37,320 | 7,810 | $37,978 |
| 45 | TXTexas | $34,760 | $28,540 | $37,030 | 126,620 | $35,814 |
| 46 | KYKentucky | $34,640 | $28,850 | $37,200 | 13,510 | $38,421 |
| 47 | ALAlabama | $32,180 | $28,930 | $36,220 | 16,260 | $36,229 |
| 48 | OKOklahoma | $31,720 | $28,670 | $37,470 | 17,050 | $36,110 |
| 49 | ARArkansas | $30,180 | $28,470 | $35,410 | 11,270 | $34,715 |
| 50 | WVWest Virginia | $29,590 | $26,790 | $35,170 | 6,450 | $33,063 |
| 51 | MSMississippi | $29,560 | $26,000 | $33,940 | 10,770 | $33,995 |
| 52 | LALouisiana | $29,050 | $25,860 | $35,960 | 14,910 | $32,934 |
| 53 | PRPuerto Rico | $24,650 | $22,590 | $27,790 | 9,810 | N/A |
| 54 | GUGuam | $22,950 | $22,360 | $27,600 | 1,110 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Cooks, Restaurant, that changes the ranking: Washington leads on raw pay at $46,800, while Maine leads once prices are taken into account at $46,667.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Cook, Restaurant pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Cooks, Restaurant the most?
Washington reports the highest median wage for Cooks, Restaurant at $46,800 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by District of Columbia ($46,130) and Massachusetts ($45,600).
Which state pays Cooks, Restaurant the least?
Guam reports the lowest median for Cooks, Restaurant at $22,950 a year, $23,850 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Cooks, Restaurant earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Maine first at $46,667 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $45,290. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.