Cooks, Restaurant Salary in District of Columbia
The median annual wage for cooks, restaurant in District of Columbia is $46,130 ($22.18 per hour) — +23.4% vs. the national median of $37,390. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $46,130
- Mean annual wage
- $45,570
- Median hourly wage
- $22.18
- Employment in DC
- 7,720
7,720 employed · 11.0 per 1,000 jobs
Wage percentiles in District of Columbia
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $36,440 | $17.52 |
| 25th percentile | $39,960 | $19.21 |
| Median (50th) | $46,130 | $22.18 |
| 75th percentile | $47,890 | $23.02 |
| 90th percentile | $53,020 | $25.49 |
What this salary is worth in District of Columbia
- Cost-of-living adjusted salary
- $41,974
- Median rent burden
- 50.8%
- Est. affordable home price
- $168,279
District of Columbia prices are 109.9 vs. U.S. average = 100 (BEA RPP, 2024)
Median gross rent in District of Columbia: $1,954/mo (ACS 2020-2024). 30% of income = $1,153/mo
At 6.67% 30-yr rate (FRED, 2026-08), 20% down, 28% front-end DTI, 1.5%/yr taxes+insurance
For context, the median home value in District of Columbia is $737,100 (ACS 2020-2024).
Estimates from documented formulas — see methodology. Not financial advice.
Cooks, Restaurant salary in other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Other salaries in District of Columbia
- Accountants and Auditors in District of Columbia
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in District of Columbia
- Business Operations Specialists, All Other in District of Columbia
- Cashiers in District of Columbia
- Construction Laborers in District of Columbia
- Customer Service Representatives in District of Columbia
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education in District of Columbia
- Fast Food and Counter Workers in District of Columbia
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers in District of Columbia
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers in District of Columbia
- First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers in District of Columbia
- General and Operations Managers in District of Columbia
- Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in District of Columbia
- Home Health and Personal Care Aides in District of Columbia
- Human Resources Specialists in District of Columbia
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners in District of Columbia
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand in District of Columbia
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers in District of Columbia
- Light Truck Drivers in District of Columbia
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General in District of Columbia
- Management Analysts in District of Columbia
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists in District of Columbia
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in District of Columbia
- Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators in District of Columbia
- Nursing Assistants in District of Columbia
- Office Clerks, General in District of Columbia
- Project Management Specialists in District of Columbia
- Receptionists and Information Clerks in District of Columbia
- Registered Nurses in District of Columbia
- Retail Salespersons in District of Columbia
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel in District of Columbia
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products in District of Columbia
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in District of Columbia
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in District of Columbia
- Security Guards in District of Columbia
- Software Developers in District of Columbia
- Stockers and Order Fillers in District of Columbia
- Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary in District of Columbia
- Waiters and Waitresses in District of Columbia
About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Regional Price Parities — data period 2024, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates — data period 2020-2024, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Federal Reserve Economic Data — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 17, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.