Cooks, Restaurant pay range in Grand Junction
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $31,030 a year or less, while the top 10% make $45,810 or more. The middle half of cooks, restaurant in Grand Junction earn between $34,630 and $41,530.
- $31K10th
- $35K25th
- $36KMedian
- $42K75th
- $46K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $38,310 | $3,192 | $18.42 |
| Median | $36,420 | $3,035 | $17.51 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $34,630 | $2,886 | $16.65 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $41,530 | $3,461 | $19.97 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Cooks, Restaurant salary after taxes in Grand Junction
On the average salary of $38,310, a single filer in Grand Junction takes home about $31,985 a year, or $2,665 a month and $1,230 every two weeks. Taxes take 17% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Colorado's FAMLI premium and the flat monthly occupational privilege taxes of Denver, Aurora and a few other cities are not included.
Is Grand Junction a good place for cooks, restaurant? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Grand Junction area are 5% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 95.5), so the average $38,310 buys what about $40,125 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.8 times the median wage of all jobs in Grand Junction ($48,510). A typical home costs $436,543, or 11.4 years of this average salary before tax.
Cooks, Restaurant salary in other Colorado cities
Grand Junction ranks 7th of 7 Colorado metro areas for this job; Denver pays the most ($43,550).
- Denver$43,550
- Boulder$42,970
- Fort Collins$40,840
- Colorado Springs$40,070
- Greeley$39,270
- Pueblo$38,490
- Grand Junction$38,310
Highest-paying cities for cooks, restaurant
Kahului, HI pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($54,460).
- Kahului, HI$54,460
- San Jose, CA$49,390
- Seattle, WA$49,000
- San Francisco, CA$48,630
- Napa, CA$47,830
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Cooks, Restaurant salary in Grand Junction: questions
How much do cooks, restaurant make an hour in Grand Junction?
$18.42 an hour on average, and $17.51 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level cooks, restaurant salary in Grand Junction?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $31,030 a year and the 25th percentile is $34,630, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the cooks, restaurant take-home pay in Grand Junction?
About $31,985 a year ($2,665 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $38,310. Colorado's FAMLI premium and the flat monthly occupational privilege taxes of Denver, Aurora and a few other cities are not included.
Do cooks, restaurant earn more in Grand Junction than elsewhere?
The average here is about the same as the U.S. metro average for this job ($39,073).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 35-2014; area Grand Junction, CO (24300). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.6%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Colorado's FAMLI premium and the flat monthly occupational privilege taxes of Denver, Aurora and a few other cities are not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 1.13, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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