SOC 35-2014 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Cooks, Restaurant — Pinehurst
Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC · 10 metro areas compared
At $35,690, median pay for Cooks, Restaurant in Pinehurst, NC tracks the national median of $37,390 closely.
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 Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC.
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
At $35,690, median pay for Cooks, Restaurant in Pinehurst, NC tracks the national median of $37,390 closely. Pay ranges from under $27,410 at the tenth percentile to more than $43,620 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $28,910 to $36,810.
Employment stands at 670, or 15.7 jobs per thousand held locally. Within the state, Charlotte records the highest median at $37,030. Of the 199 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 156th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $27,410 | −26.7% |
| 25th | $28,910 | −22.7% |
| Median (50th) | $35,690 | −4.5% |
| 75th | $36,810 | −1.6% |
| 90th | $43,620 | +16.7% |
| Mean | $34,630 | −7.4% |
Other metro areas in North Carolina
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlotte | $37,030 | 14,430 | |
| 2 | Asheville | $36,590 | 2,480 | |
| 3 | Raleigh | $36,280 | 7,160 | |
| 4 | Durham | $36,170 | 2,660 | |
| 5 | Wilmington | $34,940 | 3,440 | |
| 6 | Winston-Salem | $34,600 | 2,580 | |
| 7 | Greensboro | $34,550 | 3,250 | |
| 8 | Greenville | $34,130 | 890 | |
| 9 | Burlington | $32,830 | 740 | |
| 10 | Fayetteville | $32,720 | 1,210 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Pinehurst run 11.7% below the national average, so the median of $35,690 goes as far as $40,419 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 8.1% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$35,690as reported by BLSLocal price level
88.3US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$40,419US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $35,690 a year, 4.5% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $27,410 to $43,620 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 670 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Charlotte, at $37,030.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Cooks, Restaurant in Pinehurst, NC?
The median annual wage is $35,690, or $17.16 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 Pinehurst, NC is 4.5% 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 Pinehurst, NC earns more than $43,620 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $27,410 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 Charlotte, at $37,030 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 670 jobs in this occupation in Pinehurst, NC. 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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