Laertex

Salary ledger — May 2025 government data

Restaurant cook salary in Washington, DC

What restaurant cooks actually earn in Washington, DC, from the federal wage survey: the full pay range, and what that pay is worth once local prices are counted.

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Median pay, restaurant cooks in Washington, DC

$42,920

Half earn more, half earn less. The average is $42,590.

$39,418
What the median buys at US-average prices
$36,790–$46,070
What the middle half earns
8th of 20
Rank among these metros, after local prices

How much do restaurant cooks make in Washington, DC?

The bar spans the middle half of earners. The whiskers run from the 10th to the 90th percentile. Hover or tab to a row for every figure.

Washington, DC, as paid
At national prices
United States
Annual pay by percentile, restaurant cooks
Area10th25thMedian75th90th
Washington, DC, as paid $35,310 $36,790 $42,920 $46,070 $49,650
Washington, DC, at national prices $32,429 $33,788 $39,418 $42,311 $45,599
United States $28,700 $34,010 $37,390 $44,620 $47,900
Everyday prices in Washington, DC run 8.9% above the US average. Housing alone runs 51.1% above. That's why what the pay buys differs from the paycheck.

Where restaurant cooks come out ahead after prices

Each line runs from the median paycheck to what it buys at US-average prices. Sorted by the second. Select a metro to open it.

Median as paid
At national prices
Median pay by metro for restaurant cooks, ranked after local prices
MetroMedianAt US pricesPrices vs US
1Seattle$47,730$42,949+11.1%
2San Jose$47,170$42,718+10.4%
3Boston$45,830$42,331+8.3%
4Denver$44,370$41,945+5.8%
5San Diego$46,440$41,506+11.9%
6San Francisco$46,030$39,814+15.6%
7Nashville$38,170$39,621−3.7%
8Washington, DC$42,920$39,418+8.9%
9Los Angeles$44,460$39,149+13.6%
10New York$43,740$38,858+12.6%
11Charlotte$37,030$38,039−2.7%
12Phoenix$39,170$37,913+3.3%
13Minneapolis–St. Paul$39,640$37,816+4.8%
14Chicago$38,930$37,579+3.6%
15Austin$36,810$37,536−1.9%
16Philadelphia$38,270$37,317+2.6%
17Atlanta$37,230$37,208+0.1%
18Houston$35,050$35,537−1.4%
19Dallas–Fort Worth$36,490$35,396+3.1%
20Miami$36,920$32,342+14.2%

Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, all industries — Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area, “Cooks, Restaurant.” Prices: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by MSA (MARPP), 2024. Checked against the source October 4, 2026.

Other jobs in Washington, DC

Restaurant cook pay across the US
Common questions

How we read the wage data

Where the numbers come from, what they include, and what the price adjustment does.

From the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey run by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employers report what they actually pay, by job and location, so these are payroll figures, not self-reported numbers or job-ad ranges. BLS publishes one release a year, with a May reference date. Each page names the release it uses and the date we last checked for a newer one.
It is the paycheck restated as what it would buy at US-average prices, using the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (US = 100). The math is wage × 100 ÷ parity. In a metro where prices run 12.5% above average, $100,000 buys what about $88,900 buys nationally. It covers everyday prices including housing. It does not account for taxes.
A few very high earners pull the average up, so most people earn less than the "average salary." The median is the middle paycheck: half earn more and half earn less. The percentile range shows the rest. The 25th-to-75th band is where the middle half of workers sit.
Those sites use self-reported salaries or posted job ads, and they skew toward people who choose to share. OEWS surveys employers about their payrolls, so it covers people who never post their pay. OEWS wages include base pay, commissions, production bonuses, and tips. They exclude overtime, shift differentials, and benefits, and they don't cover the self-employed.
BLS withholds estimates that don't meet its reliability standards, usually because too few employers in a metro reported that job. We show "n/a" rather than fill the gap. BLS also top-codes the highest wages, publishing them only as "at or above" a ceiling, and we label those the same way.