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Food Service

Cooks, All Other Salary in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

Cooks, All Others in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX make a median of $29,830 a year, or about $14.34 an hour. The range runs from $26K at the entry level to $83K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $30,244 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,573/month — about 70.8% of take-home, which is tight.

$30K
Median annual
$14.34/hr
Hourly rate
$26K
Entry level (10th %)
$83K
Senior level (90th %)

So what does $30K get you in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?

Estimated take-home pay$2,167/mo
Rent (2BR median)-$1,573/mo
Rent as % of take-home72.6% ⚠ above 30% guideline
Groceries-$387/mo
Utilities-$193/mo
Transportation-$339/mo
Healthcare *-$225/mo
Left over-$550/mo

Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.

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About cooks, all others

U.S. employed: 820
Category: Food Service

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Compensation breakdown

Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

Bar chart showing Cooks, All Other salary percentiles in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 10th percentile $26,180, 25th percentile $26,690, median $29,830, 75th percentile $43,220, 90th percentile $83,120. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.10th$26K25th$27KMedian$30K75th$43K90th$83K
Bar chart showing Cooks, All Other salary percentiles in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 10th percentile $26,180, 25th percentile $26,690, median $29,830, 75th percentile $43,220, 90th percentile $83,120. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Entry-level cooks, all others (10th percentile) start around $26K. Mid-career wages sit at $30K. Top earners bring in $83K or more, a $57K spread from bottom to top.

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Cooks, All Other pay across states

Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure

StateMedian salaryvs. nationalEmployment
Massachusetts$67K+85%240
Washington$54K+50%110
Nevada$50K+37%350
Illinois$47K+30%170
New Jersey$44K+23%590
Alaska$43K+19%40
Indiana$42K+17%80
Kentucky$42K+17%90
New York$42K+17%1,260
Idaho$42K+16%N/A
Montana$41K+14%220
Oregon$41K+12%490
Ohio$40K+11%N/A
Vermont$40K+11%190
Florida$40K+10%1,120
California$39K+9%4,420
Utah$39K+9%50
Minnesota$39K+9%150
South Carolina$39K+9%60
Hawaii$38K+5%120
North Dakota$37K+2%90
Arizona$36K+0%490
Michigan$36K-1%580
Georgia$36K-2%520
Tennessee$35K-2%2,710
Connecticut$35K-3%310
Pennsylvania$35K-3%870
Missouri$35K-4%N/A
Virginia$34K-6%710
Maryland$33K-8%750
Wisconsin$33K-10%110
North Carolina$32K-12%120
Iowa$31K-14%310
Texas$31K-14%5,130
Louisiana$30K-18%620
Arkansas$28K-24%80
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Showing 1–10 of 36 states

BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small

Track cooks, all other salary changes

BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands numbers change.

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Frequently asked questions

How much do cooks, all others make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

The median is $29,830 a year, that works out to about $14 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $26,180, and experienced cooks, all others can clear $83,120. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

Is $30K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,167/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 72.6% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

How far does a cooks, all other salary go in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median cooks, all other salary is worth about $30,244 in national-average purchasing power.

Where do cooks, all others get paid the most?

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.

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