Cooks, Restaurant salary · North Carolina
Cooks, Restaurant Salary in North Carolina
Cooks, Restaurant in North Carolina earn a median of $35,400 a year, which is $17.02 an hour. That is $1,990 below the national median of $37,390, a difference of 5 percent. The state employs 50,150.
North Carolina against the US May 2025
| Figure | North Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $35,400 | $37,390 |
| Median hourly | $17.02 | $17.98 |
| Mean annual | $35,140 | $38,730 |
| 10th percentile | $27,980 | $28,700 |
| 90th percentile | $45,450 | $47,900 |
| Employment | 50,150 | 1,409,890 |
How North Carolina compares
By median pay, North Carolina ranks 11 of the 12 states this site reports for cooks, restaurant. Ranking is on the published median only. It says nothing about how far that salary goes once housing, state income tax and commuting are paid, and those differences between states are frequently larger than the pay gap itself.
Other states for cooks, restaurant May 2025
| State | Median | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $46,800 | $22.50 | 35,140 |
| California | $44,880 | $21.58 | 152,250 |
| New York | $43,680 | $21.00 | 71,530 |
| Illinois | $37,580 | $18.07 | 53,540 |
| Florida | $37,020 | $17.80 | 124,040 |
| Michigan | $36,980 | $17.78 | 39,100 |
| Virginia | $36,750 | $17.67 | 40,310 |
| Pennsylvania | $36,580 | $17.59 | 54,100 |
| Georgia | $35,940 | $17.28 | 46,350 |
| Ohio | $35,540 | $17.09 | 46,910 |
| Texas | $34,760 | $16.71 | 126,620 |
Common questions
How much do cooks, restaurant make in North Carolina?
The median salary for cooks, restaurant in North Carolina is $35,400 a year, or $17.02 an hour. That is $1,990 below the national median of $37,390, a difference of 5 percent. North Carolina employs 50,150 of them.
Is North Carolina a good state to work as a cooks, restaurant?
On pay alone, North Carolina ranks 11 of the 12 states this site reports for the occupation, by median salary. Pay is only half the question though: a state with a higher median can still leave you with less once housing and taxes are counted, and this site does not adjust for cost of living.
What is the pay range for cooks, restaurant in North Carolina?
The lowest-paid 10 percent earn $27,980 or less and the highest-paid 10 percent earn $45,450 or more. The middle half falls between $29,690 and $38,170.
Where these numbers come from
Published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 release, for SOC code 35-2014 in North Carolina. Nothing on this page is interpolated or averaged by this site. See the national cooks, restaurant salary page for the full picture, or how to read these figures for what the survey covers.