Cooks, Restaurant salary in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Cooks, Restaurant in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, 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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area earns $37,010 a year ($17.79 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Cooks, Restaurant in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL earn between $35,280 and $41,380 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $28,700 or less and the top 10 percent earn $44,670 or more. BLS estimates 18,640 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area — 12.882 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.42 (well above the national concentration). That is 1.3% of all Cooks, Restaurant employment in the United States (1,409,890 jobs nationally). By employment, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL is the #15 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Cooks, Restaurant. In aggregate, Cooks, Restaurant in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL earn about $0.70 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $32,359.22 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Cooks, Restaurant is about $0.60 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 9.4% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL stands #21 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Cooks, Restaurant. By employment, Cooks, Restaurant is the #11 largest of the 29 covered occupations in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL. Placed against the national distribution for Cooks, Restaurant, the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL median of $37,010 falls between the national 25th percentile ($34,010) and the national median ($37,390). Across all occupations, the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL median is $48,940 a year — Cooks, Restaurant pay is 24.4% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $18.06 | $37,560 |
| 10th percentile | $13.80 | $28,700 |
| 25th percentile | $16.96 | $35,280 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $17.79 | $37,010 |
| 75th percentile | $19.89 | $41,380 |
| 90th percentile | $21.48 | $44,670 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Cooks, Restaurant in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL earn 1.6 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($44,670 against $28,700). The middle half spans $6,100 — from $35,280 to $41,380. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($21.48) is 1.56 times the 10th ($13.80). In the upper half of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $41,380 takes home $35,428.60 and the 90th percentile wage of $44,670 takes home $38,072.50 — $2,643.90 more net for $3,290 more gross. Against the median take-home of $31,917.64, the top decile keeps 1.19 times as much. The mean wage of $37,560 sits 1.5% above the median: higher-paid Cooks, Restaurant pull the average up in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL. Among the 29 covered occupations in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, Cooks, Restaurant ranks #22 by median pay. In the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL wage ladder of covered occupations, Cooks, Restaurant sits between Waiters and Waitresses at $37,070 and Security Guards at $36,010. Cooks, Restaurant accounts for 1.3% of all employment in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area. The average covered metro employs 24,720 Cooks, Restaurant; Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL employs 0.8 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) | $37,010.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,261.20 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,294.62 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $536.65 |
| Florida income tax | $0.00 |
| Total deductions | $5,092.36 |
| Net pay (annual) | $31,917.64 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,227.60 |
| Total deduction rate | 13.76% of gross |
At the median, $31,917.64 of the $37,010 gross is kept ($1,227.60 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 13.76%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 12.06% at the 10th percentile, 13.47% at the 25th percentile, 14.38% at the 75th percentile, 14.77% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $4,901.14 on a gross rise of $6,100.
The same engine at the other published points of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($28,700) | $25,240.18 | $970.78 | 12.06% |
| 25th percentile ($35,280) | $30,527.46 | $1,174.13 | 13.47% |
| Median ($37,010) | $31,917.64 | $1,227.60 | 13.76% |
| 75th percentile ($41,380) | $35,428.60 | $1,362.64 | 14.38% |
| 90th percentile ($44,670) | $38,072.50 | $1,464.33 | 14.77% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $25,240.18 a year at the 10th percentile to $38,072.50 at the 90th — a spread of $12,832.32 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL median wage of $48,940 takes home $41,503.48 a year ($1,596.29 per paycheck, deduction rate 15.20%). The Cooks, Restaurant median take-home of $31,917.64 sits $9,585.84 (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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL median of $37,010 is $380 (1.0%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $37,560 a year in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL against $38,730 nationally, a gap of $1,170 (3.0%).
Set against the whole local market, the Cooks, Restaurant 90th percentile of $44,670 is 37% of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL all-occupations 90th percentile ($121,920), and its 10th percentile of $28,700 is 95% of the area-wide 10th ($30,190).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $37,010 | $17.79 | $37,560 |
| United States | $37,390 | $17.98 | $38,730 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Cooks, Restaurant in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
$37,010 a year ($17.79 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $37,560 a year. Ranked by median pay, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL stands #21 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $37,010 in Florida?
About $31,917.64 a year ($1,227.60 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 13.76% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $41,380, take-home is $35,428.60.
How does pay in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL compare with the national median for Cooks, Restaurant?
The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL median of $37,010 is $380 (1.0%) below the national median of $37,390 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $44,670, against a national 90th percentile of $47,900.
How much do the top 10% of Cooks, Restaurant earn in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
$44,670 a year or more ($21.48 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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
On $44,670 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $38,072.50 a year ($1,464.33 per biweekly paycheck) in Florida under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 14.77%.
How many Cooks, Restaurant jobs are there in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
BLS estimates 18,640 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area — 12.882 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Cooks, Restaurant jobs in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
The location quotient is 1.42 — 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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
From $25,240.18 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($28,700) to $38,072.50 at the 90th ($44,670), under the same single-filer assumptions in Florida.
What is the total wage bill for Cooks, Restaurant in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
About $0.70 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 18,640 multiplied by the mean wage of $37,560.
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.