Money · 1 of 5
What restaurant cooks make
Median
$37,390
Bottom tenth
$28,700
Top tenth
$47,900
The national median is $37,390 a year, the bottom tenth earn $28,700 or less and the top tenth $47,900 or more (2025 federal wage survey). This figure is for Cooks, Restaurant. It does not include chefs and head cooks, who are counted separately with a median of $62,470, so this is the pay for the job you actually start in.