Cooks, Restaurant salary in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Cooks, Restaurant in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Florida tax rules.
The figures
The median Cooks, Restaurant in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area earns $36,920 a year ($17.75 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Cooks, Restaurant in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL earn between $30,780 and $44,060 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $29,090 or less and the top 10 percent earn $47,160 or more. BLS estimates 37,210 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL area — 13.195 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.46 (well above the national concentration). That is 2.6% of all Cooks, Restaurant employment in the United States (1,409,890 jobs nationally). By employment, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL is the #4 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Cooks, Restaurant. In aggregate, Cooks, Restaurant in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL earn about $1.43 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $32,954.14 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Cooks, Restaurant is about $1.23 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 6.7% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL stands #22 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Cooks, Restaurant. By employment, Cooks, Restaurant is the #13 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL. Placed against the national distribution for Cooks, Restaurant, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL median of $36,920 falls between the national 25th percentile ($34,010) and the national median ($37,390). Across all occupations, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL median is $48,640 a year — Cooks, Restaurant pay is 24.1% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $18.41 | $38,300 |
| 10th percentile | $13.99 | $29,090 |
| 25th percentile | $14.80 | $30,780 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $17.75 | $36,920 |
| 75th percentile | $21.18 | $44,060 |
| 90th percentile | $22.67 | $47,160 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Cooks, Restaurant in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL earn 1.6 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($47,160 against $29,090). The middle half spans $13,280 — from $30,780 to $44,060. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($22.67) is 1.62 times the 10th ($13.99). In the upper half of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $44,060 takes home $37,582.10 and the 90th percentile wage of $47,160 takes home $40,072.92 — $2,490.82 more net for $3,100 more gross. Against the median take-home of $31,845.32, the top decile keeps 1.26 times as much. The mean wage of $38,300 sits 3.7% above the median: higher-paid Cooks, Restaurant pull the average up in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL. Among the 30 covered occupations in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL, Cooks, Restaurant ranks #22 by median pay. In the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL wage ladder of covered occupations, Cooks, Restaurant sits between Nursing Assistants at $38,010 and Stockers and Order Fillers at $36,110. Cooks, Restaurant accounts for 1.3% of all employment in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area. The average covered metro employs 24,720 Cooks, Restaurant; Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL employs 1.5 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Florida
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Florida; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $36,920.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,250.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,289.04 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $535.34 |
| Florida income tax | $0.00 |
| Total deductions | $5,074.68 |
| Net pay (annual) | $31,845.32 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,224.82 |
| Total deduction rate | 13.75% of gross |
At the median, $31,845.32 of the $36,920 gross is kept ($1,224.82 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 13.75%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 12.16% at the 10th percentile, 12.57% at the 25th percentile, 14.70% at the 75th percentile, 15.03% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $10,670.64 on a gross rise of $13,280.
The same engine at the other published points of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($29,090) | $25,553.74 | $982.84 | 12.16% |
| 25th percentile ($30,780) | $26,911.46 | $1,035.06 | 12.57% |
| Median ($36,920) | $31,845.32 | $1,224.82 | 13.75% |
| 75th percentile ($44,060) | $37,582.10 | $1,445.47 | 14.70% |
| 90th percentile ($47,160) | $40,072.92 | $1,541.27 | 15.03% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $25,553.74 a year at the 10th percentile to $40,072.92 at the 90th — a spread of $14,519.18 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL median wage of $48,640 takes home $41,261.98 a year ($1,587.00 per paycheck, deduction rate 15.17%). The Cooks, Restaurant median take-home of $31,845.32 sits $9,416.66 (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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL median of $36,920 is $470 (1.3%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $38,300 a year in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL against $38,730 nationally, a gap of $430 (1.1%).
Set against the whole local market, the Cooks, Restaurant 90th percentile of $47,160 is 38% of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL all-occupations 90th percentile ($122,530), and its 10th percentile of $29,090 is 97% of the area-wide 10th ($30,140).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $36,920 | $17.75 | $38,300 |
| United States | $37,390 | $17.98 | $38,730 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Cooks, Restaurant in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
$36,920 a year ($17.75 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $38,300 a year. Ranked by median pay, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL stands #22 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $36,920 in Florida?
About $31,845.32 a year ($1,224.82 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 13.75% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $44,060, take-home is $37,582.10.
How does pay in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL compare with the national median for Cooks, Restaurant?
The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL median of $36,920 is $470 (1.3%) below the national median of $37,390 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $47,160, against a national 90th percentile of $47,900.
How much do the top 10% of Cooks, Restaurant earn in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
$47,160 a year or more ($22.67 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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
On $47,160 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $40,072.92 a year ($1,541.27 per biweekly paycheck) in Florida under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 15.03%.
How many Cooks, Restaurant jobs are there in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
BLS estimates 37,210 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area — 13.195 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Cooks, Restaurant jobs in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
The location quotient is 1.46 — well above the national concentration. 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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
From $25,553.74 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($29,090) to $40,072.92 at the 90th ($47,160), under the same single-filer assumptions in Florida.
What is the total wage bill for Cooks, Restaurant in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
About $1.43 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 37,210 multiplied by the mean wage of $38,300.
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.