SOC 35-2014 · Lynchburg, VA metro

Cooks, Restaurant Salary in Lynchburg, VA

The average salary for cooks, restaurant in Lynchburg, Virginia is $34,780 a year ($16.72 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $35,080: half of the 1,000 people in this job in the Lynchburg, VA metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 10% less than the U.S. average for this job ($38,730).

$34,780average per year

$16.72 / hourMedian $35,080Take-home ≈ $28,940

  • $28K10th
  • $29K25th
  • $35KMedian
  • $37K75th
  • $44K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

1,000people in this job
-10%vs U.S. average
#8 of 9Virginia metros
89cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Cooks, Restaurant pay range in Lynchburg

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $28,210 a year or less, while the top 10% make $43,560 or more. The middle half of cooks, restaurant in Lynchburg earn between $29,150 and $36,710.

  • $28K10th
  • $29K25th
  • $35KMedian
  • $37K75th
  • $44K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$34,780$2,898$16.72
Median$35,080$2,923$16.87
Entry level (25th percentile)$29,150$2,429$14.01
Experienced (75th percentile)$36,710$3,059$17.65

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year. Hourly to annual salary.

Cooks, Restaurant pay in Lynchburg vs. Virginia and the U.S.

Cooks, restaurant in Lynchburg earn 9% less than the Virginia average ($38,180) and 10% less than the U.S. average ($38,730). At the median the gap is -6% against the U.S. median of $37,390.

AreaAverageMedian10th pct.90th pct.Jobs
Lynchburg$34,780$35,080$28,210$43,5601,000
Virginia$38,180$36,750$29,340$45,74040,310
United States$38,730$37,390$28,700$47,9001,409,890

State and U.S. rows: BLS statewide and national estimates, May 2025, which include rural areas.

Cooks, Restaurant salary after taxes in Lynchburg

On the average salary of $34,780, a single filer in Lynchburg takes home about $28,940 a year, or $2,412 a month and $1,113 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 (2025 rules).

Virginia paycheck calculator: try your own salary

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Is Lynchburg a good place for cooks, restaurant? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Lynchburg area are 11% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 89.4), so the average $34,780 buys what about $38,920 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.8 times the median wage of all jobs in Lynchburg ($46,190). A typical home costs $291,459, or 8.4 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $34,780 is worth in another city

Cooks, Restaurant salary in other Virginia cities

Lynchburg ranks 8th of 9 Virginia metro areas for this job; Charlottesville pays the most ($37,910).

All Cooks, Restaurant salaries in Virginia

Highest-paying cities for cooks, restaurant

Kahului, HI pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($54,460).

Cooks, Restaurant salary by city

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Reviewed before it counts. Cooks, Restaurant in Lynchburg, VA.

Cooks, Restaurant salary in Lynchburg: questions

How much do cooks, restaurant make an hour in Lynchburg?

$16.72 an hour on average, and $16.87 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level cooks, restaurant salary in Lynchburg?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $28,210 a year and the 25th percentile is $29,150, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the cooks, restaurant take-home pay in Lynchburg?

About $28,940 a year ($2,412 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $34,780.

Do cooks, restaurant earn more in Lynchburg than elsewhere?

The average here is 10% less than the U.S. average for this job ($38,730).

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 Lynchburg, VA (31340). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.9%.
  • U.S. and statewide figures: BLS OEWS national and state estimates, May 2025, every employer including rural areas.
  • 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).
  • Job concentration: location quotient 1.14, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.

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