Cooks, Restaurant salary in St. Louis, MO-IL
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Cooks, Restaurant in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Missouri tax rules.
The figures
The median Cooks, Restaurant in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area earns $37,690 a year ($18.12 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Cooks, Restaurant in St. Louis, MO-IL earn between $35,320 and $45,050 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $29,690 or less and the top 10 percent earn $47,230 or more. BLS estimates 12,970 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the St. Louis, MO-IL area — 9.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.07 (above the national concentration). That is 0.9% of all Cooks, Restaurant employment in the United States (1,409,890 jobs nationally). By employment, St. Louis, MO-IL is the #24 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Cooks, Restaurant. In aggregate, Cooks, Restaurant in St. Louis, MO-IL earn about $0.53 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $33,786.80 a year, so the aggregate take-home of St. Louis, MO-IL Cooks, Restaurant is about $0.44 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 7.9% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, St. Louis, MO-IL stands #16 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 St. Louis, MO-IL. Placed against the national distribution for Cooks, Restaurant, the St. Louis, MO-IL median of $37,690 falls between the national median ($37,390) and the national 75th percentile ($44,620). Across all occupations, the St. Louis, MO-IL median is $49,990 a year — Cooks, Restaurant pay is 24.6% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $19.47 | $40,500 |
| 10th percentile | $14.27 | $29,690 |
| 25th percentile | $16.98 | $35,320 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $18.12 | $37,690 |
| 75th percentile | $21.66 | $45,050 |
| 90th percentile | $22.71 | $47,230 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Cooks, Restaurant in St. Louis, MO-IL earn 1.6 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($47,230 against $29,690). The middle half spans $9,730 — from $35,320 to $45,050. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($22.71) is 1.59 times the 10th ($14.27). In the upper half of the St. Louis, MO-IL distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $45,050 takes home $37,235.44 and the 90th percentile wage of $47,230 takes home $38,887.64 — $1,652.20 more net for $2,180 more gross. Against the median take-home of $31,657.22, the top decile keeps 1.23 times as much. The mean wage of $40,500 sits 7.5% above the median: higher-paid Cooks, Restaurant pull the average up in St. Louis, MO-IL. Among the 30 covered occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL, Cooks, Restaurant ranks #24 by median pay. In the St. Louis, MO-IL wage ladder of covered occupations, Cooks, Restaurant sits between Stockers and Order Fillers at $37,840 and Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners at $36,620. Cooks, Restaurant accounts for 1.0% of all employment in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area. The average covered metro employs 24,720 Cooks, Restaurant; St. Louis, MO-IL employs 0.5 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Missouri
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Missouri; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $37,690.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,342.80 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,336.78 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $546.50 |
| Missouri income tax | $806.57 |
| Total deductions | $6,032.78 |
| Net pay (annual) | $31,657.22 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,217.59 |
| Total deduction rate | 16.01% of gross |
At the median, $31,657.22 of the $37,690 gross is kept ($1,217.59 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 16.01%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 13.80% at the 10th percentile, 15.46% at the 25th percentile, 17.35% at the 75th percentile, 17.66% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $7,374.40 on a gross rise of $9,730.
The same engine at the other published points of the St. Louis, MO-IL wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($29,690) | $25,594.22 | $984.39 | 13.80% |
| 25th percentile ($35,320) | $29,861.04 | $1,148.50 | 15.46% |
| Median ($37,690) | $31,657.22 | $1,217.59 | 16.01% |
| 75th percentile ($45,050) | $37,235.44 | $1,432.13 | 17.35% |
| 90th percentile ($47,230) | $38,887.64 | $1,495.68 | 17.66% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $25,594.22 a year at the 10th percentile to $38,887.64 at the 90th — a spread of $13,293.42 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the St. Louis, MO-IL median wage of $49,990 takes home $40,979.44 a year ($1,576.13 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.02%). The Cooks, Restaurant median take-home of $31,657.22 sits $9,322.22 (below that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. St. Louis, MO-IL also covers parts of Illinois. The take-home estimate above uses Missouri 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 Illinois paycheck calculator.
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 St. Louis, MO-IL median of $37,690 is $300 (0.8%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $40,500 a year in St. Louis, MO-IL against $38,730 nationally, a gap of $1,770 (4.6%).
Set against the whole local market, the Cooks, Restaurant 90th percentile of $47,230 is 41% of the St. Louis, MO-IL all-occupations 90th percentile ($115,090), and its 10th percentile of $29,690 is 95% of the area-wide 10th ($31,200).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $37,690 | $18.12 | $40,500 |
| United States | $37,390 | $17.98 | $38,730 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Cooks, Restaurant in St. Louis, MO-IL?
$37,690 a year ($18.12 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $40,500 a year. Ranked by median pay, St. Louis, MO-IL stands #16 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $37,690 in Missouri?
About $31,657.22 a year ($1,217.59 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 16.01% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $45,050, take-home is $37,235.44.
How does pay in St. Louis, MO-IL compare with the national median for Cooks, Restaurant?
The St. Louis, MO-IL median of $37,690 is $300 (0.8%) above the national median of $37,390 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $47,230, against a national 90th percentile of $47,900.
How much do the top 10% of Cooks, Restaurant earn in St. Louis, MO-IL?
$47,230 a year or more ($22.71 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 St. Louis, MO-IL?
On $47,230 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $38,887.64 a year ($1,495.68 per biweekly paycheck) in Missouri under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 17.66%.
How many Cooks, Restaurant jobs are there in St. Louis, MO-IL?
BLS estimates 12,970 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area — 9.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Cooks, Restaurant jobs in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The location quotient is 1.07 — 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 St. Louis, MO-IL?
From $25,594.22 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($29,690) to $38,887.64 at the 90th ($47,230), under the same single-filer assumptions in Missouri.
What is the total wage bill for Cooks, Restaurant in St. Louis, MO-IL?
About $0.53 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 12,970 multiplied by the mean wage of $40,500.
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.