Cooks, Restaurant Salary in Virginia
At $36,750 a year, the median for cooks, restaurant in Virginia is close to the national median of $37,390 (−2%); Virginia ranks 27th of 51 states by median. That is 34% less than the median across all occupations in Virginia ($55,690). Among neighbouring states, District of Columbia and Maryland pay more (up to $46,130 in District of Columbia) and Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky and West Virginia pay less (down to $29,590 in West Virginia). Virginia employs 40,310 cooks, restaurant, 9.81 per 1,000 jobs, the 10th largest count of any state. A location quotient of 1.08 is close to the national share.
Virginia vs the United States, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Virginia | Hourly | $14.11 | $16.00 | $17.67 | $20.67 | $21.99 | $18.36 | 40,310 | 9.81 | 1.08 |
| Annual | $29,340 | $33,270 | $36,750 | $42,990 | $45,740 | $38,180 | ||||
| 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
- 27th of 51 states
- Rank by employment
- 10th of 51 states
- Location quotient
- 1.08
- Jobs per 1,000
- 9.81
Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of Virginia'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 Virginia
11 metropolitan areas and 4 nonmetropolitan areas touching Virginia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $20.64 | $42,920 | $35,310 | $49,650 | 29,670 | 9.46 | 1.04 |
| Richmond, VA | $17.83 | $37,080 | $29,520 | $44,690 | 6,160 | 9.32 | 1.03 |
| Charlottesville, VA | $17.77 | $36,960 | $29,930 | $45,460 | 1,370 | 11.96 | 1.32 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | $17.44 | $36,280 | $29,210 | $44,280 | 8,380 | 10.98 | 1.21 |
| Harrisonburg, VA | $17.27 | $35,920 | $28,680 | $43,740 | 740 | 11.23 | 1.24 |
| Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA | $17.26 | $35,900 | $28,950 | $43,650 | 500 | 9.72 | 1.07 |
| Winchester, VA-WV | $17.02 | $35,390 | $28,920 | $42,850 | 660 | 9.80 | 1.08 |
| Lynchburg, VA | $16.87 | $35,080 | $28,210 | $43,560 | 1,000 | 10.33 | 1.14 |
| Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA | $16.85 | $35,050 | $28,560 | $43,480 | 720 | 9.71 | 1.07 |
| Roanoke, VA | $16.79 | $34,920 | $27,960 | $42,810 | 1,560 | 10.12 | 1.12 |
| Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | $16.63 | $34,600 | $26,730 | $42,170 | 1,020 | 8.51 | 0.94 |
| Northwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $17.29 | $35,970 | $28,380 | $45,200 | 730 | 11.18 | 1.23 |
| Southside Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $17.23 | $35,850 | $28,540 | $43,350 | 870 | 8.46 | 0.93 |
| Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $17.08 | $35,520 | $28,150 | $45,200 | 800 | 6.84 | 0.75 |
| Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $17.07 | $35,500 | $28,730 | $45,150 | 650 | 11.35 | 1.25 |
Neighbouring states
| State | Median hourly | Median annual | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | $17.67 | $36,750 | 40,310 | 1.08 |
| District of Columbia | $22.18 | $46,130 | 7,720 | 1.21 |
| Kentucky | $16.65 | $34,640 | 13,510 | 0.74 |
| Maryland | $18.19 | $37,820 | 17,690 | 0.71 |
| North Carolina | $17.02 | $35,400 | 50,150 | 1.12 |
| Tennessee | $17.51 | $36,420 | 28,220 | 0.95 |
| West Virginia | $14.23 | $29,590 | 6,450 | 1.01 |
See the national page for Cooks, Restaurant (every state ranked) and the Virginia 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 Virginia 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.