Cooks, Restaurant Salary
Cooks, Restaurants in Colorado make a median of $41,600 a year, or about $20 an hour. The range runs from $35K at the entry level to $50K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 103.71), that's roughly $40,112 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,832/month, about 63.4% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Colorado. Jump to a metro for precise data:
Where the paycheck goes
What $42K actually covers in Colorado, month by month
About cooks, restaurants
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What this looks like in Colorado
Colorado sits well above the national pay line for cooks, restaurant, local pay runs about 11% higher than the U.S. median of $37K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,832/month, which is 65.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 103.71) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Colorado
Entry-level cooks, restaurants (10th percentile) start around $35K. Mid-career wages sit at $42K. Top earners bring in $50K or more, a $15K spread from bottom to top.
Cooks, Restaurant salary by metro in Colorado
7 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial | $44K | +7% | 15,410 |
| Boulder | $42K | +1% | 2,190 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland | $38K | -8% | 1,930 |
| Colorado Springs | $38K | -9% | 3,330 |
| Greeley | $37K | -11% | 1,000 |
| Grand Junction | $36K | -12% | 690 |
| Pueblo | $36K | -14% | 580 |
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Track cooks, restaurant salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Colorado numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a cooks, restaurant afford a 2BR apartment alone in Colorado?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $42K, rent takes 65.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,832/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for cooks, restaurants in Colorado?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, restaurants typically earn — is $35K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,359/month. At HUD’s $1,832/month FMR, rent would take 78% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is cooks, restaurant a high-paying job in Colorado?
Local pay is 11% above the national median — $42K here vs. $37K nationally.
How does Colorado compare to the national average for cooks, restaurants?
Colorado pays $42K median vs. the U.S. average of $37K — that’s +11%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 103.71), the purchasing-power equivalent is $40K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do cooks, restaurants make in Colorado?
The median is $41,600 a year, that works out to about $20 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $34,590, and experienced cooks, restaurants can clear $49,650. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $42K enough to live in Colorado?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,803/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,832/month, which eats 65.4% 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, restaurant salary go in Colorado?
Colorado has a Regional Price Parity of 103.71 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median cooks, restaurant salary is worth about $40,112 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do cooks, restaurants 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.