The highest-paying states 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 of restaurant cooks in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $39,980, Washington is the highest paying state for restaurant cooks. It is followed by Vermont (average annual salary $39,200). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of restaurant cooks in a specific state, use the links in the table.
| Rank | State | Average Salary i | Entry Level Salary i |
# of Empl. i |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $39,980 |
$35,420 | 30,200 |
| 2 | Vermont | $39,200 |
$29,480 | 2,780 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $38,800 |
$37,140 | 4,530 |
| 4 | Alaska | $37,890 |
$30,160 | 1,820 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $37,870 |
$33,720 | 31,300 |
| 6 | California | $37,420 |
$31,590 | 141,420 |
| 7 | Hawaii | $37,240 |
$28,500 | 9,510 |
| 8 | New York | $37,200 |
$30,870 | 59,340 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $37,090 |
$30,490 | 22,590 |
| 10 | Maine | $36,770 |
$30,100 | 4,790 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $36,760 |
$29,480 | 6,150 |
| 12 | Colorado | $36,610 |
$29,400 | 32,900 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $36,190 |
$28,480 | 25,720 |
| 14 | Oregon | $36,180 |
$30,130 | 17,380 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $36,120 |
$28,540 | 12,740 |
| 16 | Arizona | $35,500 |
$30,090 | 27,880 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | $35,030 |
$26,640 | 7,030 |
| 18 | Nevada | $34,910 |
$28,900 | 20,430 |
| 19 | Maryland | $34,900 |
$27,850 | 19,850 |
| 20 | Illinois | $34,800 |
$27,120 | 51,970 |
| 21 | Utah | $34,790 |
$22,410 | 12,080 |
| 22 | Wyoming | $33,910 |
$21,920 | 2,800 |
| 23 | Florida | $33,460 |
$27,230 | 119,690 |
| 24 | Michigan | $33,130 |
$25,950 | 38,400 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $31,440 |
$22,460 | 23,830 |
| 26 | Virgin Islands | $31,200 |
$26,840 | 650 |
| 27 | Idaho | $30,810 |
$19,180 | 7,150 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $30,370 |
$22,740 | 3,800 |
| 29 | South Dakota | $30,360 |
$26,830 | 1,570 |
| 30 | Virginia | $30,200 |
$24,010 | 35,290 |
| 31 | Montana | $30,060 |
$23,380 | 6,200 |
| 32 | Pennsylvania | $29,950 |
$21,580 | 45,320 |
| 33 | Texas | $29,880 |
$22,500 | 112,270 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $29,720 |
$22,600 | 24,610 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $29,700 |
$24,570 | 8,240 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $29,670 |
$21,280 | 46,910 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $29,560 |
$15,770 | 25,980 |
| 38 | Ohio | $29,520 |
$22,450 | 48,320 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $29,420 |
$22,670 | 4,280 |
| 40 | Missouri | $29,240 |
$24,600 | 33,620 |
| 41 | Delaware | $29,160 |
$23,250 | 5,130 |
| 42 | Indiana | $28,910 |
$21,630 | 27,320 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $28,880 |
$21,060 | 17,250 |
| 44 | Georgia | $28,800 |
$17,630 | 40,400 |
| 45 | Alabama | $28,760 |
$20,740 | 16,290 |
| 46 | Iowa | $28,650 |
$22,810 | 12,600 |
| 47 | Kansas | $28,600 |
$20,800 | 11,800 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $28,280 |
$21,490 | 16,230 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $28,020 |
$20,530 | 14,170 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $27,890 |
$23,910 | 12,470 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $27,320 |
$18,820 | 9,770 |
| 52 | West Virginia | $23,530 |
$20,060 | 7,360 |
| 53 | Guam | $21,860 |
$20,890 | 860 |
| 54 | Puerto Rico | $20,750 |
$18,000 | 6,830 |