SOC 35-2014 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Cooks, Restaurant — Austin
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX · 10 metro areas compared
The median wage for Cooks, Restaurant in Austin, TX is $36,810 per year, close to the national median of $37,390 for the same occupation.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow much faster than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +14.9%
- Openings per year
- 250,700
- Typical entry-level education
- No formal educational credential
- Related work experience
- Less than 5 years
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
The median wage for Cooks, Restaurant in Austin, TX is $36,810 per year, close to the national median of $37,390 for the same occupation. Half of workers earn between $31,860 and $39,320. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $27,540 and the ninetieth at $44,490.
The area has 13,000 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 10.0 of every thousand jobs. Within the state, Dallas records the highest median at $36,490. Of the 598 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 544th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $27,540 | −26.3% |
| 25th | $31,860 | −14.8% |
| Median (50th) | $36,810 | −1.6% |
| 75th | $39,320 | +5.2% |
| 90th | $44,490 | +19.0% |
| Mean | $36,430 | −2.6% |
Other metro areas in Texas
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas | $36,490 | 34,430 | |
| 2 | Midland | $35,670 | 900 | |
| 3 | Houston | $35,050 | 32,710 | |
| 4 | Odessa | $34,900 | 840 | |
| 5 | San Antonio | $34,860 | 10,860 | |
| 6 | College Station | $32,630 | 1,410 | |
| 7 | Sherman | $31,760 | 510 | |
| 8 | Waco | $31,500 | 1,140 | |
| 9 | Corpus Christi | $30,670 | 2,130 | |
| 10 | Amarillo | $30,560 | 1,300 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Austin sit close to the national average, so $36,810 is worth roughly its face value against pay elsewhere.
Published median
$36,810as reported by BLSLocal price level
98.1US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$37,523US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $36,810 a year, 1.6% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $27,540 to $44,490 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 13,000 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Dallas, at $36,490.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Cooks, Restaurant in Austin, TX?
The median annual wage is $36,810, or $17.70 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $37,390, so pay in Austin, TX is 1.6% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Austin, TX earns more than $44,490 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $27,540 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Dallas, at $36,490 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 13,000 jobs in this occupation in Austin, TX. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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