Salaries › Cook
Cook Salary by State (2026)
Cooks (Cooks, Restaurant) hold 1,409,810 jobs across the US. Typical pay is $38,320 per year, but the median ranges from $29,050 in Louisiana to $46,800 in Washington. Pick your state for the full pay range and an estimated take-home after taxes.
Median Cook salary in every state
| State | Median salary | Jobs |
| Washington | $46,800 | 35,140 |
| District of Columbia | $46,130 | 7,720 |
| Massachusetts | $45,600 | 29,570 |
| Hawaii | $45,420 | 11,090 |
| Vermont | $45,390 | 2,360 |
| Maine | $45,290 | 5,130 |
| California | $44,880 | 152,250 |
| New York | $43,680 | 71,530 |
| Oregon | $43,100 | 21,550 |
| Colorado | $41,600 | 30,600 |
| New Hampshire | $40,200 | 7,190 |
| Alaska | $40,140 | 2,350 |
| Connecticut | $39,480 | 14,830 |
| Arizona | $38,670 | 30,870 |
| Nevada | $38,610 | 27,250 |
| Minnesota | $38,590 | 26,080 |
| New Jersey | $38,460 | 28,800 |
| Montana | $38,060 | 7,580 |
| Delaware | $37,840 | 5,280 |
| Maryland | $37,820 | 17,690 |
| Illinois | $37,580 | 53,540 |
| Nebraska | $37,030 | 4,750 |
| Florida | $37,020 | 124,040 |
| Michigan | $36,980 | 39,100 |
| Missouri | $36,940 | 25,990 |
| Wyoming | $36,830 | 2,710 |
| Virginia | $36,750 | 40,310 |
| Pennsylvania | $36,580 | 54,100 |
| Wisconsin | $36,550 | 25,410 |
| Rhode Island | $36,510 | 6,950 |
| Utah | $36,490 | 10,520 |
| North Dakota | $36,470 | 4,490 |
| Idaho | $36,440 | 8,130 |
| Tennessee | $36,420 | 28,220 |
| South Dakota | $36,220 | 1,890 |
| Georgia | $35,940 | 46,350 |
| South Carolina | $35,740 | 25,890 |
| Iowa | $35,670 | 12,270 |
| Ohio | $35,540 | 46,910 |
| North Carolina | $35,400 | 50,150 |
| Indiana | $35,170 | 26,960 |
| Kansas | $35,130 | 11,620 |
| New Mexico | $35,020 | 7,810 |
| Texas | $34,760 | 126,620 |
| Kentucky | $34,640 | 13,510 |
| Alabama | $32,180 | 16,260 |
| Oklahoma | $31,720 | 17,050 |
| Arkansas | $30,180 | 11,270 |
| West Virginia | $29,590 | 6,450 |
| Mississippi | $29,560 | 10,770 |
| Louisiana | $29,050 | 14,910 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the average Cook salary in the US?
- The typical (employment-weighted median) Cook salary in the US is about $38,320 per year, based on the latest BLS data covering 1,409,810 jobs nationwide.
- Which state pays Cooks the most?
- Washington has the highest median Cook salary at $46,800 per year. Remember that taxes and cost of living vary — a high gross salary can shrink after state taxes.
- Which state pays Cooks the least?
- Louisiana has the lowest median at $29,050 per year. Lower-paying states often also have lower living costs and, in some cases, no state income tax.
Sources and methodology
All figures: BLS OEWS May 2025 (state file, released April 2026) (Cooks, Restaurant, code 35-2014). “Typical pay” is the employment-weighted average of state medians. Take-home estimates on state pages use 2026 federal and verified state tax rules from our PaycheckTally engine.