Cook Salary

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How Much Does a Cook Earn In The United States?

Cook Salaries

Updated December 31, 2020

Average Yearly Salary

$27,000

$20,000

$27,000

$37,000

Cooks in the United States make an average salary of $27,488 per year or $13.22 per hour. People on the lower end of that spectrum, the bottom 10% to be exact, make roughly $20,000 a year, while the top 10% makes $37,000. As most things go, location can be critical. Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and New Jersey provide the highest cook salaries.

Best Paying Cities

1. Seattle, WA

Average Salary: $34,619

Cook Jobs: 30

2. Boston, MA

Average Salary: $33,014

Cook Jobs: 31

3. Richmond, CA

Average Salary: $32,624

4. Portland, OR

Average Salary: $31,068

Cook Jobs: 27

5. Portland, ME

Average Salary: $28,908

Cook Jobs: 27

6. Long Beach, NY

Average Salary: $28,894

Cook Jobs: 1

7. Saint Paul, MN

Average Salary: $28,887

Cook Jobs: 27

8. Washington, DC

Average Salary: $28,583

Cook Jobs: 20

9. Las Vegas, NV

Average Salary: $27,578

Cook Jobs: 52

10. Baltimore, MD

Average Salary: $27,176

Cook Jobs: 27

11. Chicago, IL

Average Salary: $26,883

Cook Jobs: 56

12. Denver, CO

Average Salary: $26,823

Cook Jobs: 44

13. Salt Lake City, UT

Average Salary: $26,087

Cook Jobs: 15

14. Tampa, FL

Average Salary: $25,708

Cook Jobs: 49

15. Phoenix, AZ

Average Salary: $25,381

Cook Jobs: 55

16. Philadelphia, PA

Average Salary: $25,155

Cook Jobs: 40

17. Arlington, VA

Average Salary: $25,149

Cook Jobs: 3

18. Ann Arbor, MI

Average Salary: $24,340

Cook Jobs: 7

19. Columbus, OH

Average Salary: $23,573

Cook Jobs: 37

20. San Antonio, TX

Average Salary: $23,456

Cook Jobs: 63

Your City

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Where Cooks Earn The Most

The darker areas on the map show where cooks earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary

How Much Do Cooks Earn In Different Cities?

While a cook can average a salary of $27,488 per year, or $13.22 per hour, there are many opportunities for cooks to make more. For example, in Seattle, WA you might make $34,619 per year. Other high-paying locations include Boston, MA, Richmond, CA and Portland, OR. If you're in an entry-level position, your best bet is to move to Seattle, WA where the average starting salary is $25,000. The highest paying states for cooks include Washington, Alaska and Hawaii. Meanwhile, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Louisiana offer the lowest salaries.

City

Average Salary

Seattle, WA

$35k$34,619

Boston, MA

$33k$33,014

Richmond, CA

$33k$32,624

Portland, OR

$31k$31,068

Portland, ME

$29k$28,908

Long Beach, NY

$29k$28,894

$29k$28,887

$29k$28,583

$28k$27,578

$27k$27,176

$19k

$40k

High Paying Cook Jobs

Which Companies Pay Cooks The Most?

If you insist on knowing when your check is going to come and for how much, then you'd be better off working for companies like The Walt Disney Company and Saltgrass Steak House as they offer the highest salaries for cooks.

Company

Average Salary

The Walt Disney Company

$38k$37,826

Saltgrass Steak House

$38k$37,710

Fogo de Chao

$38k$37,624

Mattel

$38k$37,524

Guttenberg Municipal Hospital

$37k$37,400

$37k$37,251

$37k$37,235

$37k$37,233

$37k$37,178

$37k$37,076

$30k

$44k

The largest raises come from changing jobs.

See what's out there.

Cook Salary History

Compare salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

How Much Do Cooks Make In Different Industries?

As we previously stated, cook salaries can vary depending on the industry. In fact, our data shows that health care, manufacturing, and retail companies tend to offer much higher salaries for cooks. For example, cooks make a whopping average salary of $31,906 while working for health care companies. Meanwhile, other people in this field are making $28,675 at manufacturing companies and $27,706 at retail companies. But cooks may want to avoid working in the hospitality industry as it offers the lowest average salary at $25,140.

Industry

Average Salary

Health Care

$32k$31,906

Manufacturing

$29k$28,675

Retail

$28k$27,706

Hospitality

$25k$25,140

$20k

$36k

How Experience Affects Cook Salaries

The salary for a cook can vary depending on the years of experience that a person has, from entry level to senior level. Data on how experience level affects total compensation is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of their National Compensation Survey, which is based on factors such as knowledge, complexity, contacts, and environment.

Recently Added Cook Salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date Added	Salary
Dean's Professional Services Dean's Professional Services Cook	Cook Cook	Abilene, TX Abilene, TX	01/31/2021 01/31/2021	$25,044 $25,044 01/31/2021
Friendship Village of Tempe Friendship Village of Tempe Cook	Cook Cook	Tempe, AZ Tempe, AZ	01/30/2021 01/30/2021	$29,740 $29,740 01/30/2021
Feather Falls Casino Feather Falls Casino Cook (Line Attendant Custom Grill)	Cook (Line Attendant Custom Grill) Cook (Line Attendant Custom Grill)	Oroville, CA Oroville, CA	01/30/2021 01/30/2021	$34,436 $34,436 01/30/2021
Seaworld Parks & Entertainment Seaworld Parks & Entertainment Cook	Cook Cook	Tampa, FL Tampa, FL	01/30/2021 01/30/2021	$21,934 $21,934 01/30/2021
Goldman Properties Goldman Properties Cook	Cook Cook	Miami, FL Miami, FL	01/30/2021 01/30/2021	$37,566 $37,566 01/30/2021
Renaissance Milwaukee West Renaissance Milwaukee West Cook	Cook Cook	Milwaukee, WI Milwaukee, WI	01/30/2021 01/30/2021	$32,349 $32,349 01/30/2021
The Salvation Army The Salvation Army Cook	Cook Cook	Oakland, CA Oakland, CA	01/30/2021 01/30/2021	$31,305 $31,305 01/30/2021
Peopleready Peopleready Cook	Cook Cook	La Crosse, WI La Crosse, WI	01/29/2021 01/29/2021	$20,870 $20,870 01/29/2021
Montana State University Montana State University Cook II-(Applicant Pool)	Cook II-(Applicant Pool) Cook II-(Applicant Pool)	Bozeman, MT Bozeman, MT	01/29/2021 01/29/2021	$32,349 $32,349 01/29/2021
Promedica Health System Promedica Health System Cook	Cook Cook	Perrysburg, OH Perrysburg, OH	01/29/2021 01/29/2021	$31,305 $31,305 01/29/2021

Updated December 31, 2020

Cook Salary

Calculate your salary

How Much Does a Cook Earn In The United States?

1. Seattle, WA

2. Boston, MA

3. Richmond, CA

4. Portland, OR

5. Portland, ME

6. Long Beach, NY

7. Saint Paul, MN

8. Washington, DC

9. Las Vegas, NV

10. Baltimore, MD

11. Chicago, IL

12. Denver, CO

13. Salt Lake City, UT

14. Tampa, FL

15. Phoenix, AZ

16. Philadelphia, PA

17. Arlington, VA

18. Ann Arbor, MI

19. Columbus, OH

20. San Antonio, TX

How much should you get paid?

Where Cooks Earn The Most

How Much Do Cooks Earn In Different Cities?

High Paying Cook Jobs

Which Companies Pay Cooks The Most?

The largest raises come from changing jobs.

Cook Salary History

How Much Do Cooks Make In Different Industries?

How Experience Affects Cook Salaries

Recently Added Cook Salaries

Related Job Salaries

Related Salaries

Related Jobs