Cooks, Restaurant Salary in New York
Cooks, Restaurant in New York earn a median $43,680 a year, +17% against the national median of $37,390; they and rank 8th of 51 states by median. That is 27% less than the median across all occupations in New York ($59,670). Among neighbouring states, Massachusetts and Vermont pay more (up to $45,600 in Massachusetts) and Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania pay less (down to $36,580 in Pennsylvania). New York employs 71,530 cooks, restaurant, 7.38 per 1,000 jobs, the 4th largest count of any state. A location quotient of 0.81 is close to the national share.
New York vs the United States, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New York | Hourly | $16.58 | $17.84 | $21.00 | $22.37 | $26.08 | $20.75 | 71,530 | 7.38 | 0.81 |
| Annual | $34,490 | $37,100 | $43,680 | $46,530 | $54,240 | $43,150 | ||||
| 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
- 8th of 51 states
- Rank by employment
- 4th of 51 states
- Location quotient
- 0.81
- Jobs per 1,000
- 7.38
Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of New York'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 New York
13 metropolitan areas and 3 nonmetropolitan areas touching New York 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | $21.15 | $44,000 | $35,360 | $48,380 | 2,200 | 8.19 | 0.90 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $21.03 | $43,740 | $33,040 | $54,240 | 69,250 | 7.30 | 0.80 |
| Kingston, NY | $20.75 | $43,150 | $34,840 | $48,450 | 750 | 12.71 | 1.40 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $19.04 | $39,610 | $34,040 | $46,630 | 3,100 | 6.91 | 0.76 |
| Ithaca, NY | $18.89 | $39,280 | $35,140 | $48,330 | 350 | 7.30 | 0.80 |
| Syracuse, NY | $18.62 | $38,740 | $34,320 | $46,080 | 1,890 | 6.29 | 0.69 |
| Glens Falls, NY | $18.62 | $38,730 | $35,020 | $47,080 | 480 | 9.48 | 1.05 |
| Rochester, NY | $18.45 | $38,380 | $34,360 | $46,430 | 3,290 | 6.66 | 0.73 |
| Utica-Rome, NY | $18.34 | $38,150 | $34,290 | $53,060 | 830 | 6.99 | 0.77 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | $18.30 | $38,060 | $34,900 | $46,390 | 3,990 | 7.47 | 0.82 |
| Binghamton, NY | $18.04 | $37,530 | $33,040 | $44,670 | 750 | 7.77 | 0.86 |
| Elmira, NY | $17.78 | $36,970 | $32,240 | $44,200 | 260 | 7.66 | 0.84 |
| Watertown-Fort Drum, NY | $17.71 | $36,830 | $32,240 | $43,970 | 360 | 9.26 | 1.02 |
| Central East New York nonmetropolitan area | $20.54 | $42,720 | $34,620 | $53,340 | 1,000 | 6.28 | 0.69 |
| Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area | $18.48 | $38,440 | $32,300 | $47,510 | 910 | 6.52 | 0.72 |
| Southwest New York nonmetropolitan area | $18.19 | $37,820 | $32,240 | $47,860 | 1,650 | 9.28 | 1.02 |
Neighbouring states
| State | Median hourly | Median annual | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $21.00 | $43,680 | 71,530 | 0.81 |
| Connecticut | $18.98 | $39,480 | 14,830 | 0.96 |
| Massachusetts | $21.92 | $45,600 | 29,570 | 0.90 |
| New Jersey | $18.49 | $38,460 | 28,800 | 0.74 |
| Pennsylvania | $17.59 | $36,580 | 54,100 | 0.98 |
| Vermont | $21.82 | $45,390 | 2,360 | 0.86 |
See the national page for Cooks, Restaurant (every state ranked) and the New York 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 New York 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.