Cooks, Restaurant salary in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Cooks, Restaurant in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Michigan tax rules.
The figures
The median Cooks, Restaurant in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area earns $37,410 a year ($17.98 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Cooks, Restaurant in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI earn between $35,570 and $43,440 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $29,620 or less and the top 10 percent earn $46,960 or more. BLS estimates 16,490 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI area — 8.658 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.95 (about the same concentration as the nation). That is 1.2% of all Cooks, Restaurant employment in the United States (1,409,890 jobs nationally). By employment, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI is the #17 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Cooks, Restaurant. In aggregate, Cooks, Restaurant in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI earn about $0.64 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $31,835.80 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Cooks, Restaurant is about $0.52 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 8.4% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI stands #18 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Cooks, Restaurant. By employment, Cooks, Restaurant is the #20 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI. Placed against the national distribution for Cooks, Restaurant, the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI median of $37,410 falls between the national median ($37,390) and the national 75th percentile ($44,620). Across all occupations, the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI median is $52,080 a year — Cooks, Restaurant pay is 28.2% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $18.58 | $38,640 |
| 10th percentile | $14.24 | $29,620 |
| 25th percentile | $17.10 | $35,570 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $17.98 | $37,410 |
| 75th percentile | $20.89 | $43,440 |
| 90th percentile | $22.58 | $46,960 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Cooks, Restaurant in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI earn 1.6 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($46,960 against $29,620). The middle half spans $7,870 — from $35,570 to $43,440. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($22.58) is 1.59 times the 10th ($14.24). In the upper half of the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $43,440 takes home $35,488.42 and the 90th percentile wage of $46,960 takes home $38,167.32 — $2,678.90 more net for $3,520 more gross. Against the median take-home of $30,899.60, the top decile keeps 1.24 times as much. The mean wage of $38,640 sits 3.3% above the median: higher-paid Cooks, Restaurant pull the average up in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI. Among the 30 covered occupations in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI, Cooks, Restaurant ranks #23 by median pay. In the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI wage ladder of covered occupations, Cooks, Restaurant sits between Waiters and Waitresses at $37,490 and Security Guards at $37,050. Cooks, Restaurant accounts for 0.9% of all employment in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area. The average covered metro employs 24,720 Cooks, Restaurant; Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI employs 0.7 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Michigan
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Michigan; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $37,410.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,309.20 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,319.42 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $542.44 |
| Michigan income tax | $1,339.17 |
| Total deductions | $6,510.40 |
| Net pay (annual) | $30,899.60 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,188.45 |
| Total deduction rate | 17.40% of gross |
At the median, $30,899.60 of the $37,410 gross is kept ($1,188.45 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 17.40%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 15.69% at the 10th percentile, 17.07% at the 25th percentile, 18.30% at the 75th percentile, 18.72% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $5,988.90 on a gross rise of $7,870.
The same engine at the other published points of the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($29,620) | $24,971.72 | $960.45 | 15.69% |
| 25th percentile ($35,570) | $29,499.52 | $1,134.60 | 17.07% |
| Median ($37,410) | $30,899.60 | $1,188.45 | 17.40% |
| 75th percentile ($43,440) | $35,488.42 | $1,364.94 | 18.30% |
| 90th percentile ($46,960) | $38,167.32 | $1,467.97 | 18.72% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $24,971.72 a year at the 10th percentile to $38,167.32 at the 90th — a spread of $13,195.60 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI median wage of $52,080 takes home $42,063.76 a year ($1,617.84 per paycheck, deduction rate 19.23%). The Cooks, Restaurant median take-home of $30,899.60 sits $11,164.16 (below that area-wide figure.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Cooks, Restaurant earns $37,390 a year ($17.98 an hour). The Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI median of $37,410 is $20 (0.1%) above the national median.
The means rank the area differently: $38,640 a year in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI against $38,730 nationally, a gap of $90 (0.2%).
Set against the whole local market, the Cooks, Restaurant 90th percentile of $46,960 is 37% of the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI all-occupations 90th percentile ($127,470), and its 10th percentile of $29,620 is 96% of the area-wide 10th ($30,990).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $37,410 | $17.98 | $38,640 |
| United States | $37,390 | $17.98 | $38,730 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Cooks, Restaurant in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI?
$37,410 a year ($17.98 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $38,640 a year. Ranked by median pay, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI stands #18 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $37,410 in Michigan?
About $30,899.60 a year ($1,188.45 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 17.40% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $43,440, take-home is $35,488.42.
How does pay in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI compare with the national median for Cooks, Restaurant?
The Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI median of $37,410 is $20 (0.1%) above the national median of $37,390 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $46,960, against a national 90th percentile of $47,900.
How much do the top 10% of Cooks, Restaurant earn in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI?
$46,960 a year or more ($22.58 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Cooks, Restaurant in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI?
On $46,960 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $38,167.32 a year ($1,467.97 per biweekly paycheck) in Michigan under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 18.72%.
How many Cooks, Restaurant jobs are there in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI?
BLS estimates 16,490 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area — 8.658 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Cooks, Restaurant jobs in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI?
The location quotient is 0.95 — about the same concentration as the nation. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Cooks, Restaurant in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI?
From $24,971.72 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($29,620) to $38,167.32 at the 90th ($46,960), under the same single-filer assumptions in Michigan.
What is the total wage bill for Cooks, Restaurant in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI?
About $0.64 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 16,490 multiplied by the mean wage of $38,640.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.