Cooks, Restaurant salary in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Cooks, Restaurant in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Arizona tax rules.
The figures
The median Cooks, Restaurant in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area earns $39,170 a year ($18.83 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Cooks, Restaurant in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ earn between $37,460 and $45,150 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $34,940 or less and the top 10 percent earn $46,500 or more. BLS estimates 21,780 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ area — 9.168 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.01 (about the same concentration as the nation). That is 1.5% of all Cooks, Restaurant employment in the United States (1,409,890 jobs nationally). By employment, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ is the #11 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Cooks, Restaurant. In aggregate, Cooks, Restaurant in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ earn about $0.89 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $34,430.80 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ Cooks, Restaurant is about $0.75 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 6.6% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ stands #12 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ. Placed against the national distribution for Cooks, Restaurant, the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ median of $39,170 falls between the national median ($37,390) and the national 75th percentile ($44,620). Across all occupations, the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ median is $51,380 a year — Cooks, Restaurant pay is 23.8% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $19.67 | $40,910 |
| 10th percentile | $16.80 | $34,940 |
| 25th percentile | $18.01 | $37,460 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $18.83 | $39,170 |
| 75th percentile | $21.71 | $45,150 |
| 90th percentile | $22.36 | $46,500 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Cooks, Restaurant in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ earn 1.3 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($46,500 against $34,940). The middle half spans $7,690 — from $37,460 to $45,150. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($22.36) is 1.33 times the 10th ($16.80). In the upper half of the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $45,150 takes home $37,731.68 and the 90th percentile wage of $46,500 takes home $38,782.94 — $1,051.26 more net for $1,350 more gross. Against the median take-home of $33,076.38, the top decile keeps 1.17 times as much. The mean wage of $40,910 sits 4.4% above the median: higher-paid Cooks, Restaurant pull the average up in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ. Among the 30 covered occupations in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ, Cooks, Restaurant ranks #23 by median pay. In the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ wage ladder of covered occupations, Cooks, Restaurant sits between First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers at $42,100 and Security Guards at $38,290. Cooks, Restaurant accounts for 0.9% of all employment in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area. The average covered metro employs 24,720 Cooks, Restaurant; Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ employs 0.9 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Arizona
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Arizona; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $39,170.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,520.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,428.54 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $567.96 |
| Arizona income tax | $576.75 |
| Total deductions | $6,093.62 |
| Net pay (annual) | $33,076.38 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,272.17 |
| Total deduction rate | 15.56% of gross |
At the median, $33,076.38 of the $39,170 gross is kept ($1,272.17 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 15.56%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 14.76% at the 10th percentile, 15.26% at the 25th percentile, 16.43% at the 75th percentile, 16.60% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $5,986.74 on a gross rise of $7,690.
The same engine at the other published points of the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($34,940) | $29,782.90 | $1,145.50 | 14.76% |
| 25th percentile ($37,460) | $31,744.94 | $1,220.96 | 15.26% |
| Median ($39,170) | $33,076.38 | $1,272.17 | 15.56% |
| 75th percentile ($45,150) | $37,731.68 | $1,451.22 | 16.43% |
| 90th percentile ($46,500) | $38,782.94 | $1,491.65 | 16.60% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $29,782.90 a year at the 10th percentile to $38,782.94 at the 90th — a spread of $9,000.04 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ median wage of $51,380 takes home $42,582.12 a year ($1,637.77 per paycheck, deduction rate 17.12%). The Cooks, Restaurant median take-home of $33,076.38 sits $9,505.74 (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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ median of $39,170 is $1,780 (4.8%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $40,910 a year in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ against $38,730 nationally, a gap of $2,180 (5.6%).
Set against the whole local market, the Cooks, Restaurant 90th percentile of $46,500 is 37% of the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ all-occupations 90th percentile ($125,130), and its 10th percentile of $34,940 is 100% of the area-wide 10th ($34,800).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $39,170 | $18.83 | $40,910 |
| United States | $37,390 | $17.98 | $38,730 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Cooks, Restaurant in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ?
$39,170 a year ($18.83 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $40,910 a year. Ranked by median pay, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ stands #12 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $39,170 in Arizona?
About $33,076.38 a year ($1,272.17 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 15.56% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $45,150, take-home is $37,731.68.
How does pay in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ compare with the national median for Cooks, Restaurant?
The Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ median of $39,170 is $1,780 (4.8%) above the national median of $37,390 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $46,500, against a national 90th percentile of $47,900.
How much do the top 10% of Cooks, Restaurant earn in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ?
$46,500 a year or more ($22.36 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ?
On $46,500 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $38,782.94 a year ($1,491.65 per biweekly paycheck) in Arizona under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 16.60%.
How many Cooks, Restaurant jobs are there in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ?
BLS estimates 21,780 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area — 9.168 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Cooks, Restaurant jobs in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ?
The location quotient is 1.01 — 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ?
From $29,782.90 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($34,940) to $38,782.94 at the 90th ($46,500), under the same single-filer assumptions in Arizona.
What is the total wage bill for Cooks, Restaurant in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ?
About $0.89 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 21,780 multiplied by the mean wage of $40,910.
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.