Cooks, Restaurant pay range in Hickory
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $27,720 a year or less, while the top 10% make $42,630 or more. The middle half of cooks, restaurant in Hickory earn between $28,600 and $36,230.
- $28K10th
- $29K25th
- $30KMedian
- $36K75th
- $43K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $32,880 | $2,740 | $15.81 |
| Median | $30,380 | $2,532 | $14.61 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $28,600 | $2,383 | $13.75 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $36,230 | $3,019 | $17.42 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Cooks, Restaurant salary after taxes in Hickory
On the average salary of $32,880, a single filer in Hickory takes home about $27,796 a year, or $2,316 a month and $1,069 every two weeks. Taxes take 15% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules).
Is Hickory a good place for cooks, restaurant? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Hickory area are 12% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 88.5), so the average $32,880 buys what about $37,158 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.7 times the median wage of all jobs in Hickory ($45,220). A typical home costs $271,739, or 8.3 years of this average salary before tax.
Cooks, Restaurant salary in other North Carolina cities
Hickory ranks 11th of 15 North Carolina metro areas for this job; Charlotte pays the most ($37,110).
- Charlotte$37,110
- Asheville$37,000
- Raleigh$36,350
- Durham$36,050
- Pinehurst$34,630
- Wilmington$34,140
- Greensboro$34,040
- Winston-Salem$33,630
- Burlington$33,300
- Hickory$32,880
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 Hickory: questions
How much do cooks, restaurant make an hour in Hickory?
$15.81 an hour on average, and $14.60 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level cooks, restaurant salary in Hickory?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $27,720 a year and the 25th percentile is $28,600, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the cooks, restaurant take-home pay in Hickory?
About $27,796 a year ($2,316 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $32,880.
Do cooks, restaurant earn more in Hickory than elsewhere?
The average here is 16% 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 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC (25860). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.8%.
- 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).
- Job concentration: location quotient 1.01, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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