Cooks, All Other Salary
Cooks, All Others in Richmond, VA make a median of $35,540 a year, or about $17.09 an hour. The range runs from $29K at the entry level to $67K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.86), that's roughly $36,317 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,655/month, about 68.3% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $36K actually covers in Richmond, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Richmond’s Regional Price Parity (97.86). 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.
About cooks, all others
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What this looks like in Richmond
Cooks, all other pay in Richmond tracks closely to the national median, $36K locally vs. $38K nationwide, a 6% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,655/month, which is 68.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 97.86) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for cooks, all others in metros near Richmond, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk | $27K | $28K |
| Memphis | $39K | $42K |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin | $33K | $34K |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | $32K | $29K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Richmond, VA
Entry-level cooks, all others (10th percentile) start around $29K. Mid-career wages sit at $36K. Top earners bring in $67K or more, a $37K spread from bottom to top.
Cooks, All Other pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Cooks, All Other salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $70K | +85% | N/A |
| Washington | $53K | +39% | 140 |
| Nevada | $51K | +36% | 320 |
| New Jersey | $46K | +22% | 280 |
| Indiana | $44K | +18% | 30 |
| North Dakota | $44K | +17% | 60 |
| Missouri | $44K | +17% | 70 |
| Colorado | $43K | +15% | 100 |
| New York | $43K | +14% | 1,090 |
| Georgia | $43K | +14% | 340 |
| California | $43K | +14% | 3,990 |
| Montana | $43K | +13% | 200 |
| Oregon | $42K | +11% | 450 |
| Arizona | $42K | +11% | 550 |
| Vermont | $41K | +9% | 160 |
| Hawaii | $40K | +6% | 100 |
| Florida | $40K | +5% | 710 |
| Connecticut | $37K | -1% | 220 |
| Michigan | $37K | -2% | 300 |
| Minnesota | $37K | -2% | 80 |
| Tennessee | $36K | -3% | 2,060 |
| Pennsylvania | $36K | -4% | 660 |
| Illinois | $36K | -5% | N/A |
| Virginia | $36K | -5% | 480 |
| Ohio | $35K | -6% | 180 |
| Wisconsin | $34K | -10% | 50 |
| Mississippi | $33K | -11% | N/A |
| Texas | $32K | -15% | 4,650 |
| Maryland | $32K | -15% | 610 |
| North Carolina | $31K | -17% | 150 |
| Arkansas | $31K | -18% | 90 |
| Louisiana | $29K | -23% | 430 |
| Iowa | $26K | -31% | 210 |
Showing 1–10 of 33 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track cooks, all other salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Richmond numbers change.
Related careers in Food Service
Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a cooks, all other afford a 2BR apartment alone in Richmond?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $36K, rent takes 68.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,655/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $700/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for cooks, all others in Richmond?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, all others typically earn — is $29K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,021/month. At HUD’s $1,655/month FMR, rent would take 82% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is cooks, all other a high-paying job in Richmond?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $36K locally vs. $38K nationally, a 6% difference.
How does Richmond compare to the national average for cooks, all others?
Richmond pays $36K median vs. the U.S. average of $38K — that’s -6%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.86), the purchasing-power equivalent is $36K — below the national median.
How much do cooks, all others make in Richmond, VA?
The median is $35,540 a year, that works out to about $17 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $29,080, and experienced cooks, all others can clear $66,560. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $36K enough to live in Richmond?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,422/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,655/month, which eats 68.3% 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 Richmond?
Richmond has a Regional Price Parity of 97.86 (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 $36,317 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.