Cooks, Restaurant salary in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Cooks, Restaurant in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Florida tax rules.
The figures
The median Cooks, Restaurant in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL metro area earns $37,970 a year ($18.26 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Cooks, Restaurant in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL earn between $36,080 and $44,170 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $30,700 or less and the top 10 percent earn $47,570 or more. BLS estimates 19,960 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL area — 14.142 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.56 (well above the national concentration). That is 1.4% of all Cooks, Restaurant employment in the United States (1,409,890 jobs nationally). By employment, Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL is the #14 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Cooks, Restaurant. In aggregate, Cooks, Restaurant in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL earn about $0.79 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $33,821.72 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Cooks, Restaurant is about $0.68 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 5.6% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL stands #15 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Cooks, Restaurant. By employment, Cooks, Restaurant is the #12 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL. Placed against the national distribution for Cooks, Restaurant, the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL median of $37,970 falls between the national median ($37,390) and the national 75th percentile ($44,620). Across all occupations, the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL median is $46,630 a year — Cooks, Restaurant pay is 18.6% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $18.93 | $39,380 |
| 10th percentile | $14.76 | $30,700 |
| 25th percentile | $17.35 | $36,080 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $18.26 | $37,970 |
| 75th percentile | $21.24 | $44,170 |
| 90th percentile | $22.87 | $47,570 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Cooks, Restaurant in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL earn 1.5 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($47,570 against $30,700). The middle half spans $8,090 — from $36,080 to $44,170. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($22.87) is 1.55 times the 10th ($14.76). In the upper half of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $44,170 takes home $37,670.52 and the 90th percentile wage of $47,570 takes home $40,402.32 — $2,731.80 more net for $3,400 more gross. Against the median take-home of $32,688.88, the top decile keeps 1.24 times as much. The mean wage of $39,380 sits 3.7% above the median: higher-paid Cooks, Restaurant pull the average up in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL. Among the 30 covered occupations in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL, Cooks, Restaurant ranks #20 by median pay. In the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL wage ladder of covered occupations, Cooks, Restaurant sits between Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand at $38,630 and Nursing Assistants at $37,690. Cooks, Restaurant accounts for 1.4% of all employment in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL metro area. The average covered metro employs 24,720 Cooks, Restaurant; Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL employs 0.8 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Florida
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Florida; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $37,970.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,376.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,354.14 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $550.57 |
| Florida income tax | $0.00 |
| Total deductions | $5,281.12 |
| Net pay (annual) | $32,688.88 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,257.26 |
| Total deduction rate | 13.91% of gross |
At the median, $32,688.88 of the $37,970 gross is kept ($1,257.26 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 13.91%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 12.55% at the 10th percentile, 13.61% at the 25th percentile, 14.71% at the 75th percentile, 15.07% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $6,500.36 on a gross rise of $8,090.
The same engine at the other published points of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($30,700) | $26,847.32 | $1,032.59 | 12.55% |
| 25th percentile ($36,080) | $31,170.16 | $1,198.85 | 13.61% |
| Median ($37,970) | $32,688.88 | $1,257.26 | 13.91% |
| 75th percentile ($44,170) | $37,670.52 | $1,448.87 | 14.71% |
| 90th percentile ($47,570) | $40,402.32 | $1,553.94 | 15.07% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $26,847.32 a year at the 10th percentile to $40,402.32 at the 90th — a spread of $13,555.00 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL median wage of $46,630 takes home $39,647.18 a year ($1,524.89 per paycheck, deduction rate 14.97%). The Cooks, Restaurant median take-home of $32,688.88 sits $6,958.30 (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 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL median of $37,970 is $580 (1.6%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $39,380 a year in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL against $38,730 nationally, a gap of $650 (1.7%).
Set against the whole local market, the Cooks, Restaurant 90th percentile of $47,570 is 45% of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL all-occupations 90th percentile ($106,490), and its 10th percentile of $30,700 is 103% of the area-wide 10th ($29,820).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $37,970 | $18.26 | $39,380 |
| United States | $37,390 | $17.98 | $38,730 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Cooks, Restaurant in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL?
$37,970 a year ($18.26 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $39,380 a year. Ranked by median pay, Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL stands #15 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $37,970 in Florida?
About $32,688.88 a year ($1,257.26 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 13.91% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $44,170, take-home is $37,670.52.
How does pay in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL compare with the national median for Cooks, Restaurant?
The Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL median of $37,970 is $580 (1.6%) above the national median of $37,390 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $47,570, against a national 90th percentile of $47,900.
How much do the top 10% of Cooks, Restaurant earn in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL?
$47,570 a year or more ($22.87 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 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL?
On $47,570 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $40,402.32 a year ($1,553.94 per biweekly paycheck) in Florida under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 15.07%.
How many Cooks, Restaurant jobs are there in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL?
BLS estimates 19,960 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL metro area — 14.142 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Cooks, Restaurant jobs in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL?
The location quotient is 1.56 — well 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 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL?
From $26,847.32 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($30,700) to $40,402.32 at the 90th ($47,570), under the same single-filer assumptions in Florida.
What is the total wage bill for Cooks, Restaurant in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL?
About $0.79 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 19,960 multiplied by the mean wage of $39,380.
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.