Cooks, Restaurant salary in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Cooks, Restaurant in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 District of Columbia tax rules.
The figures
The median Cooks, Restaurant in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area earns $42,920 a year ($20.64 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Cooks, Restaurant in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV earn between $36,790 and $46,070 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $35,310 or less and the top 10 percent earn $49,650 or more. BLS estimates 29,670 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area — 9.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.04 (about the same concentration as the nation). That is 2.1% of all Cooks, Restaurant employment in the United States (1,409,890 jobs nationally). By employment, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV is the #7 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Cooks, Restaurant. In aggregate, Cooks, Restaurant in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV earn about $1.26 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $34,945.74 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Cooks, Restaurant is about $1.04 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 6.4% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV stands #9 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Cooks, Restaurant. By employment, Cooks, Restaurant is the #18 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. Placed against the national distribution for Cooks, Restaurant, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV median of $42,920 falls between the national median ($37,390) and the national 75th percentile ($44,620). Across all occupations, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV median is $71,060 a year — Cooks, Restaurant pay is 39.6% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $20.48 | $42,590 |
| 10th percentile | $16.98 | $35,310 |
| 25th percentile | $17.69 | $36,790 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $20.64 | $42,920 |
| 75th percentile | $22.15 | $46,070 |
| 90th percentile | $23.87 | $49,650 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Cooks, Restaurant in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV earn 1.4 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($49,650 against $35,310). The middle half spans $9,280 — from $36,790 to $46,070. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($23.87) is 1.41 times the 10th ($16.98). In the upper half of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $46,070 takes home $37,533.16 and the 90th percentile wage of $49,650 takes home $40,194.58 — $2,661.42 more net for $3,580 more gross. Against the median take-home of $35,190.72, the top decile keeps 1.14 times as much. The mean wage of $42,590 sits 0.8% below the median: the average is held down by the lower end of the distribution in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. Among the 30 covered occupations in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, Cooks, Restaurant ranks #23 by median pay. In the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV wage ladder of covered occupations, Cooks, Restaurant sits between Nursing Assistants at $45,730 and Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand at $42,590. Cooks, Restaurant accounts for 0.9% of all employment in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area. The average covered metro employs 24,720 Cooks, Restaurant; Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV employs 1.2 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in District of Columbia
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in District of Columbia; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $42,920.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,970.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,661.04 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $622.34 |
| District of Columbia income tax | $1,475.20 |
| Total deductions | $7,729.28 |
| Net pay (annual) | $35,190.72 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,353.49 |
| Total deduction rate | 18.01% of gross |
At the median, $35,190.72 of the $42,920 gross is kept ($1,353.49 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 18.01%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 16.36% at the 10th percentile, 16.73% at the 25th percentile, 18.53% at the 75th percentile, 19.04% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $6,899.70 on a gross rise of $9,280.
The same engine at the other published points of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($35,310) | $29,533.06 | $1,135.89 | 16.36% |
| 25th percentile ($36,790) | $30,633.46 | $1,178.21 | 16.73% |
| Median ($42,920) | $35,190.72 | $1,353.49 | 18.01% |
| 75th percentile ($46,070) | $37,533.16 | $1,443.58 | 18.53% |
| 90th percentile ($49,650) | $40,194.58 | $1,545.95 | 19.04% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $29,533.06 a year at the 10th percentile to $40,194.58 at the 90th — a spread of $10,661.52 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV median wage of $71,060 takes home $55,576.74 a year ($2,137.57 per paycheck, deduction rate 21.79%). The Cooks, Restaurant median take-home of $35,190.72 sits $20,386.02 (below that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV also covers parts of Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia. The take-home estimate above uses District of Columbia 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 Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia paycheck calculators.
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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV median of $42,920 is $5,530 (14.8%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $42,590 a year in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV against $38,730 nationally, a gap of $3,860 (10.0%).
Set against the whole local market, the Cooks, Restaurant 90th percentile of $49,650 is 28% of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV all-occupations 90th percentile ($174,600), and its 10th percentile of $35,310 is 97% of the area-wide 10th ($36,260).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $42,920 | $20.64 | $42,590 |
| United States | $37,390 | $17.98 | $38,730 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Cooks, Restaurant in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
$42,920 a year ($20.64 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $42,590 a year. Ranked by median pay, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV stands #9 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $42,920 in District of Columbia?
About $35,190.72 a year ($1,353.49 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 18.01% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $46,070, take-home is $37,533.16.
How does pay in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV compare with the national median for Cooks, Restaurant?
The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV median of $42,920 is $5,530 (14.8%) above the national median of $37,390 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $49,650, against a national 90th percentile of $47,900.
How much do the top 10% of Cooks, Restaurant earn in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
$49,650 a year or more ($23.87 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
On $49,650 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $40,194.58 a year ($1,545.95 per biweekly paycheck) in District of Columbia under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 19.04%.
How many Cooks, Restaurant jobs are there in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
BLS estimates 29,670 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area — 9.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Cooks, Restaurant jobs in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
The location quotient is 1.04 — 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
From $29,533.06 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($35,310) to $40,194.58 at the 90th ($49,650), under the same single-filer assumptions in District of Columbia.
What is the total wage bill for Cooks, Restaurant in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
About $1.26 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 29,670 multiplied by the mean wage of $42,590.
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.