Cooks, Restaurant Salary
Cooks, Restaurants in Louisiana make a median of $29,050 a year, or about $13.97 an hour. The range runs from $22K at the entry level to $40K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 87.28), which stretches that salary to about $33,284 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,191/month, about 58% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Louisiana. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $29K get you in Louisiana?
About cooks, restaurants
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What this looks like in Louisiana
Pay for cooks, restaurant in Louisiana runs about 22% below the U.S. median of $37K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,191/month, which is 58.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 87.28 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 13% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for cooks, restaurants.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Louisiana
Entry-level cooks, restaurants (10th percentile) start around $22K. Mid-career wages sit at $29K. Top earners bring in $40K or more, a $18K spread from bottom to top.
Cooks, Restaurant salary by metro in Louisiana
10 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans-Metairie | $31K | +5% | 4,720 |
| Baton Rouge | $30K | +3% | 2,420 |
| Slidell-Mandeville-Covington | $29K | +0% | 1,100 |
| Lake Charles | $29K | -2% | 850 |
| Shreveport-Bossier City | $28K | -2% | 1,240 |
| Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux | $28K | -5% | 530 |
| Lafayette | $28K | -5% | 1,430 |
| Alexandria | $27K | -6% | 360 |
| Hammond | $27K | -7% | 460 |
| Monroe | $27K | -7% | 570 |
Compare to other states
Track cooks, restaurant salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Louisiana numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, restaurant afford a 2BR apartment alone in Louisiana?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $29K, rent takes 58.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,191/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $600/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for cooks, restaurants in Louisiana?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, restaurants typically earn — is $22K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,318/month. At HUD’s $1,191/month FMR, rent would take 90% 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 Louisiana?
Local pay runs 22% below the national median — $29K here vs. $37K nationally. Cost of living is 13% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Louisiana compare to the national average for cooks, restaurants?
Louisiana pays $29K median vs. the U.S. average of $37K — that’s -22%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 87.28), the purchasing-power equivalent is $33K — below the national median.
How much do cooks, restaurants make in Louisiana?
The median is $29,050 a year, that works out to about $14 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $21,970, and experienced cooks, restaurants can clear $39,540. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $29K enough to live in Louisiana?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,047/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,191/month, which eats 58.2% 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 Louisiana?
Louisiana has a Regional Price Parity of 87.28 (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, restaurant salary is worth about $33,284 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.