Cooks, Restaurant pay range in Salem
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $31,510 a year or less, while the top 10% make $49,720 or more. The middle half of cooks, restaurant in Salem earn between $37,200 and $45,510.
- $32K10th
- $37K25th
- $39KMedian
- $46K75th
- $50K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $41,510 | $3,459 | $19.96 |
| Median | $39,170 | $3,264 | $18.83 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $37,200 | $3,100 | $17.88 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $45,510 | $3,792 | $21.88 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Cooks, Restaurant salary after taxes in Salem
On the average salary of $41,510, a single filer in Salem takes home about $32,704 a year, or $2,725 a month and $1,258 every two weeks. Taxes take 21% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). Portland-area Metro and Multnomah County taxes and the 0.1% statewide transit tax are not included.
Is Salem a good place for cooks, restaurant? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Salem area are 4% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 103.6), so the average $41,510 buys what about $40,049 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.7 times the median wage of all jobs in Salem ($55,310). A typical home costs $454,689, or 11.0 years of this average salary before tax.
Cooks, Restaurant salary in other Oregon cities
Salem ranks 4th of 8 Oregon metro areas for this job; Portland pays the most ($46,230).
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 Salem: questions
How much do cooks, restaurant make an hour in Salem?
$19.96 an hour on average, and $18.83 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level cooks, restaurant salary in Salem?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $31,510 a year and the 25th percentile is $37,200, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the cooks, restaurant take-home pay in Salem?
About $32,704 a year ($2,725 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $41,510. Portland-area Metro and Multnomah County taxes and the 0.1% statewide transit tax are not included.
Do cooks, restaurant earn more in Salem than elsewhere?
The average here is 6% more 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 Salem, OR (41420). 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 (2025 rules). Portland-area Metro and Multnomah County taxes and the 0.1% statewide transit tax are not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 0.94, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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