Cooks, Restaurant salary in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Cooks, Restaurant in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Colorado tax rules.
The figures
The median Cooks, Restaurant in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area earns $44,370 a year ($21.33 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Cooks, Restaurant in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO earn between $38,850 and $45,950 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $36,340 or less and the top 10 percent earn $49,880 or more. BLS estimates 15,410 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO area — 9.576 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.06 (above the national concentration). That is 1.1% of all Cooks, Restaurant employment in the United States (1,409,890 jobs nationally). By employment, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO is the #19 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Cooks, Restaurant. In aggregate, Cooks, Restaurant in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO earn about $0.67 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $35,964.76 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Cooks, Restaurant is about $0.55 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 6.4% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO stands #7 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Cooks, Restaurant. By employment, Cooks, Restaurant is the #19 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO. Placed against the national distribution for Cooks, Restaurant, the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median of $44,370 falls between the national median ($37,390) and the national 75th percentile ($44,620). Across all occupations, the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median is $62,320 a year — Cooks, Restaurant pay is 28.8% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $20.94 | $43,550 |
| 10th percentile | $17.47 | $36,340 |
| 25th percentile | $18.68 | $38,850 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $21.33 | $44,370 |
| 75th percentile | $22.09 | $45,950 |
| 90th percentile | $23.98 | $49,880 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Cooks, Restaurant in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO earn 1.4 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($49,880 against $36,340). The middle half spans $7,100 — from $38,850 to $45,950. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($23.98) is 1.37 times the 10th ($17.47). In the upper half of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $45,950 takes home $37,787.30 and the 90th percentile wage of $49,880 takes home $40,772.20 — $2,984.90 more net for $3,930 more gross. Against the median take-home of $36,587.42, the top decile keeps 1.11 times as much. The mean wage of $43,550 sits 1.8% below the median: the average is held down by the lower end of the distribution in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO. Among the 30 covered occupations in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, Cooks, Restaurant ranks #24 by median pay. In the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO wage ladder of covered occupations, Cooks, Restaurant sits between Stockers and Order Fillers at $44,480 and Waiters and Waitresses at $39,650. Cooks, Restaurant accounts for 1.0% of all employment in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area. The average covered metro employs 24,720 Cooks, Restaurant; Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO employs 0.6 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Colorado
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Colorado; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $44,370.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $3,144.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,750.94 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $643.36 |
| Colorado income tax | $1,243.88 |
| Total deductions | $7,782.58 |
| Net pay (annual) | $36,587.42 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,407.21 |
| Total deduction rate | 17.54% of gross |
At the median, $36,587.42 of the $44,370 gross is kept ($1,407.21 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 17.54%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 16.10% at the 10th percentile, 16.62% at the 25th percentile, 17.76% at the 75th percentile, 18.26% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $5,392.32 on a gross rise of $7,100.
The same engine at the other published points of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($36,340) | $30,488.44 | $1,172.63 | 16.10% |
| 25th percentile ($38,850) | $32,394.98 | $1,245.96 | 16.62% |
| Median ($44,370) | $36,587.42 | $1,407.21 | 17.54% |
| 75th percentile ($45,950) | $37,787.30 | $1,453.36 | 17.76% |
| 90th percentile ($49,880) | $40,772.20 | $1,568.16 | 18.26% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $30,488.44 a year at the 10th percentile to $40,772.20 at the 90th — a spread of $10,283.76 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median wage of $62,320 takes home $50,220.38 a year ($1,931.55 per paycheck, deduction rate 19.42%). The Cooks, Restaurant median take-home of $36,587.42 sits $13,632.96 (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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median of $44,370 is $6,980 (18.7%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $43,550 a year in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO against $38,730 nationally, a gap of $4,820 (12.4%).
Set against the whole local market, the Cooks, Restaurant 90th percentile of $49,880 is 33% of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO all-occupations 90th percentile ($149,200), and its 10th percentile of $36,340 is 97% of the area-wide 10th ($37,490).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $44,370 | $21.33 | $43,550 |
| United States | $37,390 | $17.98 | $38,730 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Cooks, Restaurant in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
$44,370 a year ($21.33 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $43,550 a year. Ranked by median pay, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO stands #7 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $44,370 in Colorado?
About $36,587.42 a year ($1,407.21 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 17.54% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $45,950, take-home is $37,787.30.
How does pay in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO compare with the national median for Cooks, Restaurant?
The Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median of $44,370 is $6,980 (18.7%) above the national median of $37,390 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $49,880, against a national 90th percentile of $47,900.
How much do the top 10% of Cooks, Restaurant earn in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
$49,880 a year or more ($23.98 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
On $49,880 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $40,772.20 a year ($1,568.16 per biweekly paycheck) in Colorado under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 18.26%.
How many Cooks, Restaurant jobs are there in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
BLS estimates 15,410 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area — 9.576 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Cooks, Restaurant jobs in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
The location quotient is 1.06 — above 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
From $30,488.44 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($36,340) to $40,772.20 at the 90th ($49,880), under the same single-filer assumptions in Colorado.
What is the total wage bill for Cooks, Restaurant in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
About $0.67 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 15,410 multiplied by the mean wage of $43,550.
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.