Cooks, Restaurant salary in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Cooks, Restaurant in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Pennsylvania tax rules.
The figures
The median Cooks, Restaurant in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area earns $38,270 a year ($18.40 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Cooks, Restaurant in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD earn between $35,790 and $44,040 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $29,750 or less and the top 10 percent earn $47,010 or more. BLS estimates 24,220 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area — 8.358 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.92 (below the national concentration). That is 1.7% of all Cooks, Restaurant employment in the United States (1,409,890 jobs nationally). By employment, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD is the #9 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Cooks, Restaurant. In aggregate, Cooks, Restaurant in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD earn about $0.94 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $32,296.06 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Cooks, Restaurant is about $0.78 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 4.3% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD stands #14 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD. Placed against the national distribution for Cooks, Restaurant, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $38,270 falls between the national median ($37,390) and the national 75th percentile ($44,620). Across all occupations, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median is $54,310 a year — Cooks, Restaurant pay is 29.5% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $18.73 | $38,970 |
| 10th percentile | $14.30 | $29,750 |
| 25th percentile | $17.21 | $35,790 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $18.40 | $38,270 |
| 75th percentile | $21.18 | $44,040 |
| 90th percentile | $22.60 | $47,010 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Cooks, Restaurant in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD earn 1.6 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($47,010 against $29,750). The middle half spans $8,250 — from $35,790 to $44,040. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($22.60) is 1.58 times the 10th ($14.30). In the upper half of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $44,040 takes home $36,214.00 and the 90th percentile wage of $47,010 takes home $38,509.30 — $2,295.30 more net for $2,970 more gross. Against the median take-home of $31,755.18, the top decile keeps 1.21 times as much. The mean wage of $38,970 sits 1.8% above the median: higher-paid Cooks, Restaurant pull the average up in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD. Among the 30 covered occupations in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, Cooks, Restaurant ranks #22 by median pay. In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD wage ladder of covered occupations, Cooks, Restaurant sits between Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators at $42,240 and Security Guards at $37,450. Cooks, Restaurant accounts for 0.8% of all employment in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area. The average covered metro employs 24,720 Cooks, Restaurant; Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD employs 1.0 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Pennsylvania
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Pennsylvania; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $38,270.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,412.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,372.74 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $554.92 |
| Pennsylvania income tax | $1,174.89 |
| Total deductions | $6,514.82 |
| Net pay (annual) | $31,755.18 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,221.35 |
| Total deduction rate | 17.02% of gross |
At the median, $31,755.18 of the $38,270 gross is kept ($1,221.35 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 17.02%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 15.39% at the 10th percentile, 16.63% at the 25th percentile, 17.77% at the 75th percentile, 18.08% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $6,375.66 on a gross rise of $8,250.
The same engine at the other published points of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($29,750) | $25,170.88 | $968.11 | 15.39% |
| 25th percentile ($35,790) | $29,838.34 | $1,147.63 | 16.63% |
| Median ($38,270) | $31,755.18 | $1,221.35 | 17.02% |
| 75th percentile ($44,040) | $36,214.00 | $1,392.85 | 17.77% |
| 90th percentile ($47,010) | $38,509.30 | $1,481.13 | 18.08% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $25,170.88 a year at the 10th percentile to $38,509.30 at the 90th — a spread of $13,338.42 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median wage of $54,310 takes home $44,150.50 a year ($1,698.10 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.71%). The Cooks, Restaurant median take-home of $31,755.18 sits $12,395.32 (below that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD also covers parts of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland. The take-home estimate above uses Pennsylvania rules — the metro area's primary state. If the job is based in another part of the metro area, the state tax changes: see the New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland paycheck calculators.
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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $38,270 is $880 (2.4%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $38,970 a year in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD against $38,730 nationally, a gap of $240 (0.6%).
Set against the whole local market, the Cooks, Restaurant 90th percentile of $47,010 is 36% of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD all-occupations 90th percentile ($130,280), and its 10th percentile of $29,750 is 95% of the area-wide 10th ($31,200).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $38,270 | $18.40 | $38,970 |
| United States | $37,390 | $17.98 | $38,730 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Cooks, Restaurant in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
$38,270 a year ($18.40 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $38,970 a year. Ranked by median pay, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD stands #14 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $38,270 in Pennsylvania?
About $31,755.18 a year ($1,221.35 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 17.02% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $44,040, take-home is $36,214.00.
How does pay in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD compare with the national median for Cooks, Restaurant?
The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $38,270 is $880 (2.4%) above the national median of $37,390 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $47,010, against a national 90th percentile of $47,900.
How much do the top 10% of Cooks, Restaurant earn in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
$47,010 a year or more ($22.60 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
On $47,010 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $38,509.30 a year ($1,481.13 per biweekly paycheck) in Pennsylvania under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 18.08%.
How many Cooks, Restaurant jobs are there in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
BLS estimates 24,220 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area — 8.358 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Cooks, Restaurant jobs in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
The location quotient is 0.92 — below 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
From $25,170.88 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($29,750) to $38,509.30 at the 90th ($47,010), under the same single-filer assumptions in Pennsylvania.
What is the total wage bill for Cooks, Restaurant in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
About $0.94 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 24,220 multiplied by the mean wage of $38,970.
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.