Restaurant cook pay in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX at a glance
Median salary
$28,670$13.79 per hour · $2,389 monthly · BLS May 2025Run the numbers on your own pay
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Restaurant cook salary in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX after taxes
Restaurant cooks pay range in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, hourly and yearly
BLS May 2025 estimates for the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.
| Percentile | Hourly | Monthly | Yearly | After tax a year (TX) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $9.95/hr | $1,724 | $20,690 | $18,648 |
| 25th percentile | $11.22/hr | $1,945 | $23,340 | $20,830 |
| MedianMedian | $13.79/hr | $2,389 | $28,670 | $25,216 |
| 75th percentile | $15.53/hr | $2,693 | $32,310 | $28,141 |
| 90th percentile | $16.70/hr | $2,895 | $34,740 | $30,094 |
Is $28,670 a good salary in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX?
It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for restaurant cooks next to both.
Restaurant cooks pay in Texas and across the U.S.
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.
Restaurant cook pay in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX: common questions
What is the median salary for restaurant cooks in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX?
The BLS median annual wage for restaurant cooks in the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX metro area was $28,670 in May 2025, about $2,389 a month or $13.79 an hour. Statewide, the Texas median for this job is $34,760, so the metro pays 18% below the state.
What is the hourly pay for restaurant cooks in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX?
The median hourly wage for restaurant cooks in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX was $13.79 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $9.95 an hour and one in ten earned more than $16.70.
How many restaurant cooks work in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX?
BLS estimated 1,510 jobs for restaurant cooks in the metro in May 2025, or 9.6 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 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX?
BLS wage estimates for restaurant cooks in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX run from $20,690 at the 10th percentile to $23,340 at the 25th, $32,310 at the 75th, and $34,740 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.
How much do restaurant cooks take home after taxes in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX?
On a median gross salary of $28,670, an estimated $25,216 lands in net take-home pay per year ($970 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Texas in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $3,454 (an effective rate of 12%).
How much do restaurant cooks make per month in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX?
On the median annual salary of $28,670, gross monthly income is $2,389. After federal, FICA, and Texas state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,101 per month (or $970 every two weeks).
Is $28,670 a good salary in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX?
At $28,670, the median salary for restaurant cooks is 54.5% of the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX median household income ($52,601). It is 21% below the $36,490 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 86.0, so prices here run 14% below the U.S. average.