Cooks, Restaurant Salary in Washington
Cooks, Restaurant in Washington earn a median $46,800 a year, +25% against the national median of $37,390; they and rank 1st of 51 states by median. That is 26% less than the median across all occupations in Washington ($62,990). Washington pays more than every neighbouring state: Oregon and Idaho range from $36,440 in Idaho to $43,100 in Oregon. Washington employs 35,140 cooks, restaurant, 9.90 per 1,000 jobs, the 12th largest count of any state. A location quotient of 1.09 is close to the national share.
Washington vs the United States, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Washington | Hourly | $18.24 | $20.56 | $22.50 | $23.82 | $27.84 | $22.69 | 35,140 | 9.90 | 1.09 |
| Annual | $37,940 | $42,770 | $46,800 | $49,540 | $57,910 | $47,200 | ||||
| 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
- 1st of 51 states
- Rank by employment
- 12th of 51 states
- Location quotient
- 1.09
- Jobs per 1,000
- 9.90
Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of Washington'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 Washington
13 metropolitan areas and 2 nonmetropolitan areas touching Washington 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $22.95 | $47,730 | $38,360 | $58,660 | 20,850 | 10.00 | 1.10 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $22.34 | $46,460 | $37,550 | $56,600 | 1,090 | 11.60 | 1.28 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $22.33 | $46,450 | $37,280 | $56,800 | 590 | 11.15 | 1.23 |
| Bellingham, WA | $21.81 | $45,370 | $36,800 | $56,700 | 1,090 | 11.94 | 1.32 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | $21.77 | $45,280 | $36,690 | $55,910 | 1,150 | 8.85 | 0.98 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $21.73 | $45,200 | $37,510 | $61,430 | 13,020 | 10.78 | 1.19 |
| Longview-Kelso, WA | $21.63 | $44,980 | $34,890 | $53,310 | 310 | 7.44 | 0.82 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $21.61 | $44,960 | $36,210 | $54,780 | 1,090 | 8.40 | 0.93 |
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | $21.42 | $44,550 | $37,030 | $50,670 | 780 | 15.32 | 1.69 |
| Yakima, WA | $21.34 | $44,390 | $35,670 | $53,230 | 680 | 7.00 | 0.77 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | $21.26 | $44,230 | $36,450 | $54,440 | 2,490 | 9.74 | 1.07 |
| Walla Walla, WA | $21.18 | $44,050 | $35,770 | $52,000 | 260 | 9.87 | 1.09 |
| Lewiston, ID-WA | $17.51 | $36,410 | $28,020 | $45,950 | 220 | 7.76 | 0.86 |
| Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area | $21.76 | $45,250 | $36,080 | $57,580 | 1,080 | 9.92 | 1.09 |
| Western Washington nonmetropolitan area | $21.69 | $45,120 | $37,160 | $55,640 | 1,690 | 13.03 | 1.44 |
Neighbouring states
See the national page for Cooks, Restaurant (every state ranked) and the Washington 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 Washington 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.