Home / Compare / Cooks, Restaurant vs. Waiters and Waitresses Salary comparison Cooks, Restaurant vs. Waiters and Waitresses: Salary Comparison (2026) Cooks, Restaurants earn a median salary of $36,830/year, while Waiters and Waitressess earn $33,760/year - a difference of $3,070. Cooks, Restaurants earn more on average. Both salaries are based on national BLS data.
Cooks, Restaurant
Waiters and Waitresses
Median salary
$36,830
$33,760
Hourly rate
$17.71/hr
$16.23/hr
Entry level (10th %)
$28,010
$18,500
Senior level (90th %)
$47,340
$62,510
Education required
Varies
Varies
U.S. employment
1,452,130
2,302,690
Job growth (10-year)
N/A
N/A
Category
Food Service
Food Service
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS), BEA Regional Price Parities & HUD Fair Market Rents.
Source data is published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS), Bureau of Economic Analysis (Regional Price Parities), and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (Fair Market Rents). AffordMap is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. Per BLS policy, "BLS.gov cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from BLS.gov."
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