Cooks, Restaurant salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Cooks, Restaurant in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Illinois tax rules.
The figures
The median Cooks, Restaurant in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earns $38,930 a year ($18.72 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Cooks, Restaurant in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn between $36,300 and $45,510 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $32,150 or less and the top 10 percent earn $46,620 or more. BLS estimates 41,690 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area — 9.237 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.02 (about the same concentration as the nation). That is 3.0% of all Cooks, Restaurant employment in the United States (1,409,890 jobs nationally). By employment, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is the #3 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Cooks, Restaurant. In aggregate, Cooks, Restaurant in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn about $1.69 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $32,823.94 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Cooks, Restaurant is about $1.37 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 6.9% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #13 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Cooks, Restaurant. By employment, Cooks, Restaurant is the #20 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Placed against the national distribution for Cooks, Restaurant, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $38,930 falls between the national median ($37,390) and the national 75th percentile ($44,620). Across all occupations, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $54,720 a year — Cooks, Restaurant pay is 28.9% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $19.45 | $40,450 |
| 10th percentile | $15.46 | $32,150 |
| 25th percentile | $17.45 | $36,300 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $18.72 | $38,930 |
| 75th percentile | $21.88 | $45,510 |
| 90th percentile | $22.42 | $46,620 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Cooks, Restaurant in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn 1.5 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($46,620 against $32,150). The middle half spans $9,210 — from $36,300 to $45,510. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($22.42) is 1.45 times the 10th ($15.46). In the upper half of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $45,510 takes home $36,639.32 and the 90th percentile wage of $46,620 takes home $37,476.32 — $837.00 more net for $1,110 more gross. Against the median take-home of $31,678.08, the top decile keeps 1.18 times as much. The mean wage of $40,450 sits 3.9% above the median: higher-paid Cooks, Restaurant pull the average up in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Among the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, Cooks, Restaurant ranks #23 by median pay. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN wage ladder of covered occupations, Cooks, Restaurant sits between Security Guards at $39,990 and Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners at $38,470. Cooks, Restaurant accounts for 0.9% of all employment in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area. The average covered metro employs 24,720 Cooks, Restaurant; Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN employs 1.7 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Illinois
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Illinois; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $38,930.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,491.60 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,413.66 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $564.49 |
| Illinois income tax | $1,782.25 |
| Total deductions | $7,251.92 |
| Net pay (annual) | $31,678.08 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,218.39 |
| Total deduction rate | 18.63% of gross |
At the median, $31,678.08 of the $38,930 gross is kept ($1,218.39 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 18.63%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 17.37% at the 10th percentile, 18.19% at the 25th percentile, 19.49% at the 75th percentile, 19.61% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $6,944.10 on a gross rise of $9,210.
The same engine at the other published points of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($32,150) | $26,565.72 | $1,021.76 | 17.37% |
| 25th percentile ($36,300) | $29,695.22 | $1,142.12 | 18.19% |
| Median ($38,930) | $31,678.08 | $1,218.39 | 18.63% |
| 75th percentile ($45,510) | $36,639.32 | $1,409.20 | 19.49% |
| 90th percentile ($46,620) | $37,476.32 | $1,441.40 | 19.61% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $26,565.72 a year at the 10th percentile to $37,476.32 at the 90th — a spread of $10,910.60 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median wage of $54,720 takes home $43,583.42 a year ($1,676.29 per paycheck, deduction rate 20.35%). The Cooks, Restaurant median take-home of $31,678.08 sits $11,905.34 (below that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN also covers parts of Indiana. The take-home estimate above uses Illinois rules — the metro area's primary state. If the job is based in another part of the metro area, the state tax changes: see the Indiana paycheck calculator.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Cooks, Restaurant earns $37,390 a year ($17.98 an hour). The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $38,930 is $1,540 (4.1%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $40,450 a year in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN against $38,730 nationally, a gap of $1,720 (4.4%).
Set against the whole local market, the Cooks, Restaurant 90th percentile of $46,620 is 36% of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN all-occupations 90th percentile ($130,790), and its 10th percentile of $32,150 is 94% of the area-wide 10th ($34,260).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $38,930 | $18.72 | $40,450 |
| United States | $37,390 | $17.98 | $38,730 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Cooks, Restaurant in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$38,930 a year ($18.72 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $40,450 a year. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #13 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $38,930 in Illinois?
About $31,678.08 a year ($1,218.39 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 18.63% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $45,510, take-home is $36,639.32.
How does pay in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN compare with the national median for Cooks, Restaurant?
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $38,930 is $1,540 (4.1%) above the national median of $37,390 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $46,620, against a national 90th percentile of $47,900.
How much do the top 10% of Cooks, Restaurant earn in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$46,620 a year or more ($22.42 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Cooks, Restaurant in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
On $46,620 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $37,476.32 a year ($1,441.40 per biweekly paycheck) in Illinois under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 19.61%.
How many Cooks, Restaurant jobs are there in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
BLS estimates 41,690 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area — 9.237 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Cooks, Restaurant jobs in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
The location quotient is 1.02 — about the same concentration as the nation. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Cooks, Restaurant in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
From $26,565.72 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($32,150) to $37,476.32 at the 90th ($46,620), under the same single-filer assumptions in Illinois.
What is the total wage bill for Cooks, Restaurant in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
About $1.69 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 41,690 multiplied by the mean wage of $40,450.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.