Outpaid

Cooks, Restaurant salary
in Ames, IA

Cooks, Restaurant in the Ames, IA metro earn a median of $36,410 a year, based on BLS estimates for 570 jobs (May 2025). That is 3% below the U.S. median of $37,390 and 2% above the IA statewide median of $35,670. It ranks #210 of 527 metros with published figures for this job.

COOKS, RESTAURANT · AMES, IA · BLS
BLS OEWS MAY 2025 · AMES, IA · ALL EMPLOYERS, ALL EXPERIENCE LEVELS
P10$29,380P25$31,210MEDIAN$36,410P75$42,630P90$48,200
BLS · UNITED STATES
P10$28,700P25$34,010MEDIAN$37,390P75$44,620P90$47,900
30 SECONDS · NO SIGNUP · ON-DEVICE

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Questions

What is the average Cooks, Restaurant salary in Ames?

The BLS median is $36,410 a year (May 2025). Half of the 570 jobs pay between $31,210 and $42,630. The 10th percentile is $29,380 and the 90th is $48,200.

Is Ames a high-paying metro for Cooks, Restaurant?

That is 3% below the U.S. median of $37,390 and 2% above the IA statewide median of $35,670. It ranks #210 of 527 U.S. metros with published BLS figures for this job.

Does this include experience levels?

BLS figures cover all experience levels together. Employer filings carry a DOL wage level, which the free checker can filter by (approximate).

Sources: U.S. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (national + state) (metro area estimates, all employers); employer rows from U.S. DOL OFLC LCA Disclosure Data, FY2026 Q3 (LCA_Disclosure_Data_FY2026_Q3.xlsx). Base pay only. Estimates can have sampling error, especially for smaller metros.