Cooks, Restaurant Salary in Texas
Cooks, Restaurant in Texas have a median of $34,760 a year, below the national $37,390 (−7%); the state ranks 44th of 51 states by median. That is 29% less than the median across all occupations in Texas ($48,620). Among neighbouring states, New Mexico pays more (up to $35,020 in New Mexico) and Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana pay less (down to $29,050 in Louisiana). Texas employs 126,620 cooks, restaurant, 9.00 per 1,000 jobs, the 2nd largest count of any state. A location quotient of 0.99 is close to the national share.
Texas vs the United States, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Texas | Hourly | $11.21 | $13.72 | $16.71 | $17.80 | $20.58 | $16.04 | 126,620 | 9.00 | 0.99 |
| Annual | $23,330 | $28,540 | $34,760 | $37,030 | $42,810 | $33,370 | ||||
| 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
- 44th of 51 states
- Rank by employment
- 2nd of 51 states
- Location quotient
- 0.99
- Jobs per 1,000
- 9.00
Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of Texas'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 Texas
25 metropolitan areas and 6 nonmetropolitan areas touching Texas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $17.70 | $36,810 | $27,540 | $44,490 | 13,000 | 10.05 | 1.11 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $17.54 | $36,490 | $28,020 | $45,280 | 34,430 | 8.50 | 0.94 |
| Midland, TX | $17.15 | $35,670 | $23,190 | $43,560 | 900 | 7.35 | 0.81 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $16.85 | $35,050 | $24,600 | $38,370 | 32,710 | 9.94 | 1.10 |
| Odessa, TX | $16.78 | $34,900 | $22,770 | $38,320 | 840 | 10.33 | 1.14 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $16.76 | $34,860 | $22,690 | $38,160 | 10,860 | 9.63 | 1.06 |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | $15.69 | $32,630 | $22,730 | $36,680 | 1,410 | 10.55 | 1.16 |
| Sherman-Denison, TX | $15.27 | $31,760 | $22,500 | $38,670 | 510 | 9.68 | 1.07 |
| Waco, TX | $15.14 | $31,500 | $21,640 | $37,380 | 1,140 | 8.81 | 0.97 |
| Corpus Christi, TX | $14.75 | $30,670 | $21,540 | $36,640 | 2,130 | 11.06 | 1.22 |
| Amarillo, TX | $14.69 | $30,560 | $21,630 | $36,790 | 1,300 | 10.46 | 1.15 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | $14.67 | $30,520 | $21,970 | $37,390 | 1,480 | 9.05 | 1.00 |
| Killeen-Temple, TX | $14.67 | $30,510 | $22,030 | $36,770 | 1,340 | 8.93 | 0.98 |
| Tyler, TX | $14.57 | $30,300 | $21,160 | $36,140 | 1,050 | 9.13 | 1.01 |
| Lubbock, TX | $14.54 | $30,250 | $22,030 | $36,500 | 1,700 | 10.18 | 1.12 |
| Abilene, TX | $14.51 | $30,180 | $22,320 | $36,080 | 730 | 9.78 | 1.08 |
| Longview, TX | $14.39 | $29,930 | $22,660 | $36,140 | 920 | 7.76 | 0.86 |
| San Angelo, TX | $14.33 | $29,800 | $21,690 | $36,930 | 510 | 10.33 | 1.14 |
| Wichita Falls, TX | $14.32 | $29,790 | $21,270 | $35,930 | 520 | 9.35 | 1.03 |
| Victoria, TX | $14.27 | $29,680 | $20,800 | $36,080 | 340 | 8.87 | 0.98 |
| Texarkana, TX-AR | $14.18 | $29,490 | $22,010 | $34,790 | 640 | 11.18 | 1.23 |
| El Paso, TX | $13.94 | $28,990 | $21,780 | $34,920 | 3,550 | 10.48 | 1.16 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | $13.79 | $28,670 | $20,690 | $34,740 | 1,510 | 9.59 | 1.06 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | $13.65 | $28,380 | $19,850 | $34,590 | 2,590 | 8.74 | 0.96 |
| Laredo, TX | $13.52 | $28,120 | $19,800 | $34,940 | 1,060 | 9.72 | 1.07 |
| Eastern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $14.40 | $29,950 | $22,360 | $36,760 | 930 | 8.10 | 0.89 |
| Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $14.17 | $29,470 | $22,320 | $37,370 | 2,130 | 10.60 | 1.17 |
| Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $14.03 | $29,180 | $22,180 | $36,630 | 300 | 6.42 | 0.71 |
| Northwestern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $14.02 | $29,160 | $22,260 | $36,770 | 1,300 | 6.90 | 0.76 |
| North Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $13.89 | $28,880 | $22,150 | $37,000 | 2,400 | 8.71 | 0.96 |
| Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $13.79 | $28,680 | $22,060 | $36,860 | 980 | 6.53 | 0.72 |
Neighbouring states
| State | Median hourly | Median annual | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | $16.71 | $34,760 | 126,620 | 0.99 |
| Arkansas | $14.51 | $30,180 | 11,270 | 0.95 |
| Louisiana | $13.97 | $29,050 | 14,910 | 0.85 |
| New Mexico | $16.84 | $35,020 | 7,810 | 0.99 |
| Oklahoma | $15.25 | $31,720 | 17,050 | 1.10 |
See the national page for Cooks, Restaurant (every state ranked) and the Texas 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 Texas 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.