Beckley, WV metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a restaurant cook make in Beckley, WV?

In the Beckley, WV metropolitan area, restaurant cooks earned a median of $28,770 a year ($13.83 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 420 of these jobs there. That is 31% below the $41,850 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $21,910 and $36,760; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and West Virginia tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $24,608 in take-home pay.

Restaurant cook pay in Beckley, WV at a glance

Median salary

$28,770$13.83 per hour · $2,398 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$21,910$10.53/hr
25th percentile$27,270$13.11/hr
75th percentile$30,860$14.84/hr
90th percentile$36,760$17.67/hr
Jobs in this metro420Location quotient 1.06 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here31% belowAll-jobs median $41,850
Against West Virginia3% belowStatewide median $29,590
Against the U.S.23% belowNational median $37,390

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Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Restaurant cook salary in Beckley, WV after taxes

$28,770
$15,000$60,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$28,770
Net 86%
Fed 4%
WV 2%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$24,608After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,051Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$946Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate14.5%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$1,272 / yr
West Virginia state income tax$688 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,201 / yr

Restaurant cooks pay range in Beckley, WV, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Beckley, WV metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What restaurant cooks earned in the Beckley, WV metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (WV)
10th percentile$10.53/hr$1,826$21,910$19,163
25th percentile$13.11/hr$2,273$27,270$23,426
MedianMedian$13.83/hr$2,398$28,770$24,608
75th percentile$14.84/hr$2,572$30,860$26,222
90th percentile$17.67/hr$3,063$36,760$30,776

Is $28,770 a good salary in Beckley, WV?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for restaurant cooks next to both.

Median household income$52,620Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)88.411.6% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household54.7%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Do restaurant cooks pay tax on tips?

Yes, but less than before. This job is on the Treasury's list of tipped occupations, so from 2025 through 2028 up to $25,000 a year of reported tips comes off federal taxable income, shrinking above $150,000 of income ($300,000 joint). Social Security and Medicare are still owed on every tip, and most states still tax them. The BLS pay figures on this page already include tips as employers report them.

See what the tips deduction saves you →

Restaurant cook pay in Beckley, WV: common questions

What is the median salary for restaurant cooks in Beckley, WV?

The BLS median annual wage for restaurant cooks in the Beckley, WV metro area was $28,770 in May 2025, about $2,398 a month or $13.83 an hour. Statewide, the West Virginia median for this job is $29,590, so the metro pays 3% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for restaurant cooks in Beckley, WV?

The median hourly wage for restaurant cooks in Beckley, WV was $13.83 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $10.53 an hour and one in ten earned more than $17.67.

How many restaurant cooks work in Beckley, WV?

BLS estimated 420 jobs for restaurant cooks in the metro in May 2025, or 9.7 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.06 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for restaurant cooks in Beckley, WV?

BLS wage estimates for restaurant cooks in Beckley, WV run from $21,910 at the 10th percentile to $27,270 at the 25th, $30,860 at the 75th, and $36,760 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do restaurant cooks take home after taxes in Beckley, WV?

On a median gross salary of $28,770, an estimated $24,608 lands in net take-home pay per year ($946 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in West Virginia in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $4,162 (an effective rate of 14.5%).

How much do restaurant cooks make per month in Beckley, WV?

On the median annual salary of $28,770, gross monthly income is $2,398. After federal, FICA, and West Virginia state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,051 per month (or $946 every two weeks).

Is $28,770 a good salary in Beckley, WV?

At $28,770, the median salary for restaurant cooks is 54.7% of the Beckley, WV median household income ($52,620). It is 31% below the $41,850 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 88.4, so prices here run 11.6% below the U.S. average.