Outpaid

Cooks, Restaurant salary
in Lincoln, NE

Median base pay · Lincoln, NE
$37,290
≈ $17.93/hr · BLS OEWS, May 2025 · 890 jobs
Middle 50%
$34,990–$42,380
vs U.S. median
0%
Metro rank
#143 of 527

Cooks, Restaurant in the Lincoln, NE metro earn a median of $37,290 a year, based on BLS estimates for 890 jobs (May 2025). That is in line with the U.S. median of $37,390 and 1% above the NE statewide median of $37,030. It ranks #143 of 527 metros with published figures for this job.

COOKS, RESTAURANT · LINCOLN, NE · BLS
BLS OEWS MAY 2025 · LINCOLN, NE · ALL EMPLOYERS, ALL EXPERIENCE LEVELS
P10$29,580P25$34,990MEDIAN$37,290P75$42,380P90$44,210
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 Lincoln?

The BLS median is $37,290 a year (May 2025). Half of the 890 jobs pay between $34,990 and $42,380. The 10th percentile is $29,580 and the 90th is $44,210.

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

That is in line with the U.S. median of $37,390 and 1% above the NE statewide median of $37,030. It ranks #143 of 527 U.S. metros with published BLS figures for this job.

How much do Cooks, Restaurant make an hour in Lincoln?

About $17.93 an hour at the median (the BLS annual figure of $37,290 divided by 2,080 hours, the conversion BLS uses). The middle half earn about $16.82–$20.38 an hour. Straight-time pay, before overtime and shift differentials.

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.