Cooks, Restaurant Salary in Illinois
At $37,580 a year, the median for cooks, restaurant in Illinois is close to the national median of $37,390 (+1%); Illinois ranks 21st of 51 states by median. That is 28% less than the median across all occupations in Illinois ($51,960). Illinois pays more than every neighbouring state: Missouri, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana and Kentucky range from $34,640 in Kentucky to $36,940 in Missouri. Illinois employs 53,540 cooks, restaurant, 8.78 per 1,000 jobs, the 6th largest count of any state. A location quotient of 0.97 is close to the national share.
Illinois vs the United States, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Illinois | Hourly | $15.00 | $17.00 | $18.07 | $21.64 | $22.34 | $19.00 | 53,540 | 8.78 | 0.97 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $35,360 | $37,580 | $45,010 | $46,460 | $39,520 | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $13.80 | $16.35 | $17.98 | $21.45 | $23.03 | $18.62 | 1,409,890 | – | – |
| Annual | $28,700 | $34,010 | $37,390 | $44,620 | $47,900 | $38,730 | ||||
- Rank by median
- 21st of 51 states
- Rank by employment
- 6th of 51 states
- Location quotient
- 0.97
- Jobs per 1,000
- 8.78
Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of Illinois's employment divided by its national share; 1.00 means the same share as the nation. Take-home pay at these wages: FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Metropolitan areas in Illinois
12 metropolitan areas and 4 nonmetropolitan areas touching Illinois publish a row for cooks, restaurant, sorted by median. Areas crossing a state line are listed under every state they touch; a linked metro has its own profile.
| Area | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $18.72 | $38,930 | $32,150 | $46,620 | 41,690 | 9.24 | 1.02 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $18.12 | $37,690 | $29,690 | $47,230 | 12,970 | 9.67 | 1.07 |
| Springfield, IL | $17.57 | $36,550 | $31,450 | $44,340 | 850 | 8.46 | 0.93 |
| Decatur, IL | $17.52 | $36,440 | $31,200 | $45,090 | 320 | 7.08 | 0.78 |
| Rockford, IL | $17.41 | $36,200 | $31,200 | $44,320 | 1,130 | 8.20 | 0.90 |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL | $17.33 | $36,040 | $31,410 | $44,990 | 970 | 9.18 | 1.01 |
| Peoria, IL | $17.33 | $36,040 | $31,200 | $43,120 | 1,420 | 8.58 | 0.95 |
| Kankakee, IL | $17.09 | $35,560 | $31,200 | $44,250 | 320 | 7.64 | 0.84 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | $17.06 | $35,480 | $30,490 | $43,570 | 1,560 | 8.66 | 0.95 |
| Bloomington, IL | $16.98 | $35,310 | $31,200 | $42,100 | 850 | 9.64 | 1.06 |
| Cape Girardeau, MO-IL | $16.77 | $34,870 | $28,850 | $42,250 | 380 | 8.52 | 0.94 |
| Paducah, KY-IL | $15.00 | $31,200 | $26,770 | $37,150 | 490 | 9.69 | 1.07 |
| South Illinois nonmetropolitan area | $17.15 | $35,680 | $31,200 | $42,600 | 1,110 | 7.89 | 0.87 |
| Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area | $16.99 | $35,350 | $31,200 | $42,390 | 1,150 | 9.09 | 1.00 |
| East Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area | $16.92 | $35,200 | $31,200 | $42,540 | 1,100 | 7.69 | 0.85 |
| West Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area | $16.61 | $34,550 | $31,200 | $42,540 | 1,530 | 9.01 | 0.99 |
Neighbouring states
See the national page for Cooks, Restaurant (every state ranked) and the Illinois wage profile (every occupation in the state).
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Illinois estimates.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.