Cooks, Restaurant pay range in Fort Wayne
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $26,000 a year or less, while the top 10% make $39,860 or more. The middle half of cooks, restaurant in Fort Wayne earn between $28,670 and $36,500.
- $26K10th
- $29K25th
- $34KMedian
- $36K75th
- $40K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $33,180 | $2,765 | $15.95 |
| Median | $34,490 | $2,874 | $16.58 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $28,670 | $2,389 | $13.78 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $36,500 | $3,042 | $17.55 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Cooks, Restaurant salary after taxes in Fort Wayne
On the average salary of $33,180, a single filer in Fort Wayne takes home about $27,363 a year, or $2,280 a month and $1,052 every two weeks. Taxes take 18% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). Includes Fort Wayne's local income tax (1.59%).
Is Fort Wayne a good place for cooks, restaurant? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Fort Wayne area are 7% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 92.6), so the average $33,180 buys what about $35,842 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.7 times the median wage of all jobs in Fort Wayne ($47,700). A typical home costs $259,816, or 7.8 years of this average salary before tax.
Cooks, Restaurant salary in other Indiana cities
Fort Wayne ranks 8th of 12 Indiana metro areas for this job; Indianapolis pays the most ($35,550).
- Indianapolis$35,550
- Kokomo$34,190
- Elkhart$34,010
- South Bend$33,740
- Bloomington$33,660
- Lafayette$33,300
- Evansville$33,210
- Fort Wayne$33,180
- Michigan City$32,800
- Columbus$32,610
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 Fort Wayne: questions
How much do cooks, restaurant make an hour in Fort Wayne?
$15.95 an hour on average, and $16.58 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level cooks, restaurant salary in Fort Wayne?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $26,000 a year and the 25th percentile is $28,670, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the cooks, restaurant take-home pay in Fort Wayne?
About $27,363 a year ($2,280 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $33,180. Includes Fort Wayne's local income tax (1.59%).
Do cooks, restaurant earn more in Fort Wayne than elsewhere?
The average here is 15% less than 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 Fort Wayne, IN (23060). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 2.5%.
- 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 (2025 rules). Includes Fort Wayne's local income tax (1.59%).
- Job concentration: location quotient 0.99, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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