Cooks, Restaurant salary in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Cooks, Restaurant in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Washington tax rules.
The figures
The median Cooks, Restaurant in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area earns $47,730 a year ($22.95 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Cooks, Restaurant in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA earn between $45,730 and $53,060 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $38,360 or less and the top 10 percent earn $58,660 or more. BLS estimates 20,850 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area — 9.996 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.1 (above the national concentration). That is 1.5% of all Cooks, Restaurant employment in the United States (1,409,890 jobs nationally). By employment, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA is the #12 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Cooks, Restaurant. In aggregate, Cooks, Restaurant in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA earn about $1.02 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $41,267.08 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Cooks, Restaurant is about $0.86 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 7.4% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA stands #1 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Cooks, Restaurant. By employment, Cooks, Restaurant is the #18 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA. Placed against the national distribution for Cooks, Restaurant, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median of $47,730 falls above the national 75th percentile of $44,620. Across all occupations, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median is $72,610 a year — Cooks, Restaurant pay is 34.3% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $23.56 | $49,000 |
| 10th percentile | $18.44 | $38,360 |
| 25th percentile | $21.98 | $45,730 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $22.95 | $47,730 |
| 75th percentile | $25.51 | $53,060 |
| 90th percentile | $28.20 | $58,660 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Cooks, Restaurant in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA earn 1.5 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($58,660 against $38,360). The middle half spans $7,330 — from $45,730 to $53,060. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($28.20) is 1.53 times the 10th ($18.44). In the upper half of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $53,060 takes home $44,505.74 and the 90th percentile wage of $58,660 takes home $48,973.18 — $4,467.44 more net for $5,600 more gross. Against the median take-home of $40,253.96, the top decile keeps 1.22 times as much. The mean wage of $49,000 sits 2.7% above the median: higher-paid Cooks, Restaurant pull the average up in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA. Among the 30 covered occupations in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, Cooks, Restaurant ranks #24 by median pay. In the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA wage ladder of covered occupations, Cooks, Restaurant sits between Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand at $47,740 and Security Guards at $47,490. Cooks, Restaurant accounts for 1.0% of all employment in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area. The average covered metro employs 24,720 Cooks, Restaurant; Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA employs 0.8 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Washington
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Washington; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $47,730.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $3,547.60 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,959.26 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $692.08 |
| Washington income tax | $0.00 |
| WA Cares Fund (long-term care premium) | $276.83 |
| Total deductions | $7,476.04 |
| Net pay (annual) | $40,253.96 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,548.23 |
| Total deduction rate | 15.66% of gross |
At the median, $40,253.96 of the $47,730 gross is kept ($1,548.23 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 15.66%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 14.55% at the 10th percentile, 15.46% at the 25th percentile, 16.12% at the 75th percentile, 16.51% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $5,846.96 on a gross rise of $7,330.
The same engine at the other published points of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($38,360) | $32,779.88 | $1,260.76 | 14.55% |
| 25th percentile ($45,730) | $38,658.78 | $1,486.88 | 15.46% |
| Median ($47,730) | $40,253.96 | $1,548.23 | 15.66% |
| 75th percentile ($53,060) | $44,505.74 | $1,711.76 | 16.12% |
| 90th percentile ($58,660) | $48,973.18 | $1,883.58 | 16.51% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $32,779.88 a year at the 10th percentile to $48,973.18 at the 90th — a spread of $16,193.30 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median wage of $72,610 takes home $59,489.88 a year ($2,288.07 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.07%). The Cooks, Restaurant median take-home of $40,253.96 sits $19,235.92 (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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median of $47,730 is $10,340 (27.7%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $49,000 a year in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA against $38,730 nationally, a gap of $10,270 (26.5%).
Set against the whole local market, the Cooks, Restaurant 90th percentile of $58,660 is 35% of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA all-occupations 90th percentile ($167,440), and its 10th percentile of $38,360 is 91% of the area-wide 10th ($42,280).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $47,730 | $22.95 | $49,000 |
| United States | $37,390 | $17.98 | $38,730 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Cooks, Restaurant in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
$47,730 a year ($22.95 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $49,000 a year. Ranked by median pay, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA stands #1 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $47,730 in Washington?
About $40,253.96 a year ($1,548.23 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 15.66% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $53,060, take-home is $44,505.74.
How does pay in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA compare with the national median for Cooks, Restaurant?
The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median of $47,730 is $10,340 (27.7%) above the national median of $37,390 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $58,660, against a national 90th percentile of $47,900.
How much do the top 10% of Cooks, Restaurant earn in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
$58,660 a year or more ($28.20 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
On $58,660 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $48,973.18 a year ($1,883.58 per biweekly paycheck) in Washington under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 16.51%.
How many Cooks, Restaurant jobs are there in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
BLS estimates 20,850 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area — 9.996 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Cooks, Restaurant jobs in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
The location quotient is 1.1 — 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
From $32,779.88 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($38,360) to $48,973.18 at the 90th ($58,660), under the same single-filer assumptions in Washington.
What is the total wage bill for Cooks, Restaurant in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
About $1.02 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 20,850 multiplied by the mean wage of $49,000.
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.