National Salary Info » Restaurant Cooks

Highest Paying Industries for Restaurant Cooks

The top 100 highest paying industries for restaurant cooks (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment in those industries are also shown. As shown in the table, with an average annual salary of $31,150, casino hotels is the highest paying industry for restaurant cooks. It is followed by general medical and surgical hospitals industry (average annual salary $30,950). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2015 [1]. For more information about salaries of restaurant cooks in a specific industry, use the links in the table.

Table 1. 100 Highest Paying Industries for Restaurant Cooks

Rank	Industry	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	Casino Hotels	$31,150	$20,350	12,790
2	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	$30,950	$25,030	40
3	Hospitals (including private, state, and local government hospitals)	$30,950	$25,030	40
4	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - Privately owned	$30,780	$24,950	40
5	Hospitals - Privately owned	$30,780	$24,950	40
6	Grocery Stores	$28,860	$20,150	3,210
7	Food and Beverage Stores	$28,190	$19,510	3,750
8	Home Furnishings Stores	$27,860	$19,280	60
9	Facilities Support Services	$27,800	$18,030	40
10	Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land	$27,540	$18,190	140
11	Transportation and Warehousing	$27,460	$18,860	500
12	Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services	$27,240	$18,160	n/a
13	Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	$27,120	$20,130	110
14	Other Personal Services	$27,110	$21,000	70
15	Traveler Accommodation	$26,920	$19,130	65,300
16	Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers	$26,910	$20,990	n/a
17	Accommodation	$26,890	$19,110	65,630
18	Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events	$26,860	$18,150	160
19	Personal and Laundry Services	$26,620	$20,160	120
20	Construction	$26,500	$19,750	60
21	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - Privately owned	$26,480	$20,090	100
22	Health Care and Social Assistance	$26,030	$19,410	440
23	Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	$25,850	$18,290	2,800
24	Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation	$25,800	$18,410	350
25	Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services	$25,690	$16,970	60
26	Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations	$25,620	$18,610	520
27	Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly	$25,490	$19,640	280
28	Nursing and Residential Care Facilities	$25,490	$19,470	290
29	Social Assistance	$25,340	$17,880	90
30	Educational Services	$25,320	$18,270	150
31	Personal Care Services	$25,300	$19,770	50
32	Public sector -- Federal, state, and local government, including government owned schools and hospit	$25,170	$18,570	7,270
33	Local government, including schools and hospitals	$25,150	$18,560	7,250
34	Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries	$25,040	$18,170	33,140
35	Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	$24,960	$18,150	34,950
36	Other Amusement and Recreation Industries	$24,910	$18,090	22,180
37	Management of Companies and Enterprises	$24,770	$18,190	600
38	Educational Services - Privately owned	$24,750	$17,950	130
39	Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water	$24,600	$18,600	210
40	Lessors of Real Estate	$24,470	$17,900	470
41	Nonstore Retailers	$24,440	$20,280	70
42	Special Food Services	$24,410	$17,780	15,350
43	Real Estate	$24,230	$17,960	620
44	Real Estate and Rental and Leasing	$24,210	$17,950	630
45	Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions	$24,190	$17,800	340
46	Retail Trade	$24,190	$17,670	7,440
47	Furniture and Home Furnishings Stores	$23,910	$17,130	90
48	Other Services (except Federal, State, and Local Government)	$23,820	$17,500	4,900
49	Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations	$23,750	$17,470	4,770
50	Activities Related to Real Estate	$23,740	$18,200	150
51	Department Stores	$23,700	$18,190	430
52	Performing Arts Companies	$23,650	$18,380	560
53	Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters	$23,630	$18,390	550
54	Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries	$23,600	$17,920	1,480
55	Civic and Social Organizations	$23,530	$17,390	4,180
56	Specialty Food Stores	$23,420	$17,340	540
57	Spectator Sports	$23,220	$17,550	740
58	Sporting Goods Stores	$23,190	$17,900	470
59	Federal, State, and Local Government (OES Designation)	$23,180	$17,330	780
60	Federal, State, and Local Government	$23,180	$17,330	780
61	Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	$23,160	$17,320	780
62	Sporting Goods, Hobby, and Musical Instrument Stores	$23,090	$17,680	480
63	Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, and Book Stores	$23,090	$17,680	480
64	Beverage Manufacturing	$22,960	$18,240	720
65	Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing	$22,960	$18,240	720
66	Other Support Services	$22,930	$17,540	50
67	RV (Recreational Vehicle) Parks and Recreational Camps	$22,770	$17,060	280
68	Manufacturing	$22,700	$17,950	1,290
69	General Merchandise Stores	$22,690	$17,650	650
70	Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods	$22,670	$16,590	40
71	Clothing Stores	$22,610	$19,780	n/a
72	Pharmacies and Drug Stores	$22,530	$20,010	n/a
73	Food Manufacturing	$22,430	$17,710	560
74	Accommodation and Food Services	$22,400	$17,220	1,048,190
75	Administrative and Support Services	$22,330	$17,390	4,050
76	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	$22,330	$17,390	4,050
77	Full-Service Restaurants	$22,320	$17,210	875,680
78	Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing	$22,310	$17,680	n/a
79	Employment Services	$22,290	$17,410	3,820
80	Clothing and Clothing Accessories Stores	$22,270	$18,320	80
81	Food Services and Drinking Places	$22,200	$17,170	982,560
82	Restaurants and Other Eating Places	$22,170	$17,160	949,940
83	Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	$22,160	$17,180	17,270
84	Health and Personal Care Stores	$22,160	$18,320	n/a
85	Office Supplies, Stationery, and Gift Stores	$22,100	$17,460	150
86	Religious Organizations	$22,030	$16,770	60
87	Temporary Help Services	$22,010	$17,020	1,900
88	Miscellaneous Store Retailers	$21,680	$17,390	260
89	Information	$21,190	$16,760	700
90	Wholesale Trade	$21,080	$17,400	90
91	Other General Merchandise Stores	$21,020	$17,100	n/a
92	Motion Picture and Video Exhibition	$20,810	$16,660	640
93	Motion Picture and Video Industries	$20,810	$16,660	640
94	Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries	$20,810	$16,660	640
95	Gasoline Stations	$20,610	$16,560	1,910
96	Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods	$19,640	$17,600	50
97	Furniture Stores	$18,970	$16,270	n/a
98	Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers	$18,870	$16,070	40
99	Lawn and Garden Equipment and Supplies Stores	$18,790	$16,060	n/a