Cooks, Restaurant salary in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Cooks, Restaurant in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Texas tax rules.
The figures
The median Cooks, Restaurant in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area earns $36,490 a year ($17.54 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Cooks, Restaurant in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX earn between $30,150 and $38,920 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $28,020 or less and the top 10 percent earn $45,280 or more. BLS estimates 34,430 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area — 8.502 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.94 (below the national concentration). That is 2.4% of all Cooks, Restaurant employment in the United States (1,409,890 jobs nationally). By employment, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX is the #5 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Cooks, Restaurant. In aggregate, Cooks, Restaurant in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX earn about $1.23 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $30,993.58 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Cooks, Restaurant is about $1.07 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 8% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX stands #24 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Cooks, Restaurant. By employment, Cooks, Restaurant is the #23 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. Placed against the national distribution for Cooks, Restaurant, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX median of $36,490 falls between the national 25th percentile ($34,010) and the national median ($37,390). Across all occupations, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX median is $51,440 a year — Cooks, Restaurant pay is 29.1% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $17.24 | $35,860 |
| 10th percentile | $13.47 | $28,020 |
| 25th percentile | $14.49 | $30,150 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $17.54 | $36,490 |
| 75th percentile | $18.71 | $38,920 |
| 90th percentile | $21.77 | $45,280 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Cooks, Restaurant in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX earn 1.6 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($45,280 against $28,020). The middle half spans $8,770 — from $30,150 to $38,920. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($21.77) is 1.62 times the 10th ($13.47). In the upper half of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $38,920 takes home $33,452.20 and the 90th percentile wage of $45,280 takes home $38,562.38 — $5,110.18 more net for $6,360 more gross. Against the median take-home of $31,499.82, the top decile keeps 1.22 times as much. The mean wage of $35,860 sits 1.7% below the median: the average is held down by the lower end of the distribution in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. Among the 30 covered occupations in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, Cooks, Restaurant ranks #24 by median pay. In the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX wage ladder of covered occupations, Cooks, Restaurant sits between Security Guards at $36,680 and Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners at $34,860. Cooks, Restaurant accounts for 0.9% of all employment in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area. The average covered metro employs 24,720 Cooks, Restaurant; Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX employs 1.4 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Texas
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Texas; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $36,490.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,198.80 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,262.38 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $529.11 |
| Texas income tax | $0.00 |
| Total deductions | $4,990.18 |
| Net pay (annual) | $31,499.82 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,211.53 |
| Total deduction rate | 13.68% of gross |
At the median, $31,499.82 of the $36,490 gross is kept ($1,211.53 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 13.68%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 11.91% at the 10th percentile, 12.42% at the 25th percentile, 14.05% at the 75th percentile, 14.84% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $7,046.72 on a gross rise of $8,770.
The same engine at the other published points of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($28,020) | $24,684.20 | $949.39 | 11.91% |
| 25th percentile ($30,150) | $26,405.48 | $1,015.60 | 12.42% |
| Median ($36,490) | $31,499.82 | $1,211.53 | 13.68% |
| 75th percentile ($38,920) | $33,452.20 | $1,286.62 | 14.05% |
| 90th percentile ($45,280) | $38,562.38 | $1,483.17 | 14.84% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $24,684.20 a year at the 10th percentile to $38,562.38 at the 90th — a spread of $13,878.18 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX median wage of $51,440 takes home $43,512.08 a year ($1,673.54 per paycheck, deduction rate 15.41%). The Cooks, Restaurant median take-home of $31,499.82 sits $12,012.26 (below that area-wide figure.
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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX median of $36,490 is $900 (2.4%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $35,860 a year in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX against $38,730 nationally, a gap of $2,870 (7.4%).
Set against the whole local market, the Cooks, Restaurant 90th percentile of $45,280 is 34% of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX all-occupations 90th percentile ($132,080), and its 10th percentile of $28,020 is 97% of the area-wide 10th ($28,850).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $36,490 | $17.54 | $35,860 |
| United States | $37,390 | $17.98 | $38,730 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Cooks, Restaurant in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
$36,490 a year ($17.54 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $35,860 a year. Ranked by median pay, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX stands #24 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $36,490 in Texas?
About $31,499.82 a year ($1,211.53 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 13.68% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $38,920, take-home is $33,452.20.
How does pay in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX compare with the national median for Cooks, Restaurant?
The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX median of $36,490 is $900 (2.4%) below the national median of $37,390 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $45,280, against a national 90th percentile of $47,900.
How much do the top 10% of Cooks, Restaurant earn in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
$45,280 a year or more ($21.77 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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
On $45,280 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $38,562.38 a year ($1,483.17 per biweekly paycheck) in Texas under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 14.84%.
How many Cooks, Restaurant jobs are there in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
BLS estimates 34,430 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area — 8.502 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Cooks, Restaurant jobs in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
The location quotient is 0.94 — below the national concentration. 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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
From $24,684.20 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($28,020) to $38,562.38 at the 90th ($45,280), under the same single-filer assumptions in Texas.
What is the total wage bill for Cooks, Restaurant in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
About $1.23 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 34,430 multiplied by the mean wage of $35,860.
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.