Cooks, Restaurant Salary in Nebraska

At $37,030 a year, the median for cooks, restaurant in Nebraska is close to the national median of $37,390 (−1%); Nebraska ranks 22nd of 51 states by median. That is 24% less than the median across all occupations in Nebraska ($48,980). Among neighbouring states, Colorado pays more (up to $41,600 in Colorado) and Missouri, Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa and Kansas pay less (down to $35,130 in Kansas). Nebraska employs 4,750 cooks, restaurant, 4.64 per 1,000 jobs, the 46th largest count of any state. A location quotient of 0.51 means it is less common in Nebraska than nationally.

Nebraska vs the United States, May 2025

Cooks, Restaurant: wage percentiles, mean, employment, jobs per 1,000 and location quotient in Nebraska and nationally, May 2025
AreaBasisPercentile wageMeanEmploymentJobs per 1,000Location quotient
10th25thMedian75th90th
NebraskaHourly$13.79$16.25$17.81$20.44$21.58$17.884,7504.640.51
Annual$28,680$33,800$37,030$42,510$44,880$37,190
United StatesHourly$13.80$16.35$17.98$21.45$23.03$18.621,409,890––
Annual$28,700$34,010$37,390$44,620$47,900$38,730
$0$20k$40k$60k10th10th: $28,680$28,68025th25th: $33,800$33,800MedianMedian: $37,030$37,03075th75th: $42,510$42,51090th90th: $44,880$44,880US median
Nebraska annual wage at the 10th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th and 90th percentiles; the line marks the US median. The same numbers are in the table above.
Rank by median
22nd of 51 states
Rank by employment
46th of 51 states
Location quotient
0.51
Jobs per 1,000
4.64

Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of Nebraska'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 Nebraska

4 metropolitan areas and 3 nonmetropolitan areas touching Nebraska 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.

AreaMedian hourlyMedian annual10th pct (annual)90th pct (annual)EmploymentJobs per 1,000Location quotient
Omaha, NE-IA$18.19$37,840$30,020$45,4402,8505.720.63
Lincoln, NE$17.93$37,290$29,580$44,2108904.850.54
Grand Island, NE$17.55$36,500$28,450$43,6802005.100.56
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD$17.44$36,270$29,370$45,6205607.480.83
South Nebraska nonmetropolitan area$16.31$33,910$28,080$43,5507004.490.50
Northeast Nebraska nonmetropolitan area$16.23$33,750$29,060$41,4203603.740.41
Northwest Nebraska nonmetropolitan area$16.15$33,600$28,380$43,8202105.240.58

Neighbouring states

StateMedian hourlyMedian annualEmploymentLocation quotient
Nebraska$17.81$37,0304,7500.51
Colorado$20.00$41,60030,6001.17
Iowa$17.15$35,67012,2700.87
Kansas$16.89$35,13011,6200.89
Missouri$17.76$36,94025,9900.98
South Dakota$17.42$36,2201,8900.46
Wyoming$17.71$36,8302,7101.06

See the national page for Cooks, Restaurant (every state ranked) and the Nebraska 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 Nebraska 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.