Fort Wayne, IN metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a restaurant cook make in Fort Wayne, IN?

In the Fort Wayne, IN metropolitan area, restaurant cooks earned a median of $34,490 a year ($16.58 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 2,030 of these jobs there. That is 28% below the $47,700 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $26,000 and $39,860; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Indiana tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $28,905 in take-home pay.

Restaurant cook pay in Fort Wayne, IN at a glance

Median salary

$34,490$16.58 per hour · $2,874 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$26,000$12.50/hr
25th percentile$28,670$13.78/hr
75th percentile$36,500$17.55/hr
90th percentile$39,860$19.16/hr
Jobs in this metro2,030Location quotient 0.99 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here28% belowAll-jobs median $47,700
Against Indiana2% belowStatewide median $35,170
Against the U.S.8% belowNational median $37,390

Run the numbers on your own pay

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

Restaurant cook salary in Fort Wayne, IN after taxes

$34,490
$15,000$70,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$34,490
Net 84%
Fed 6%
IN 3%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$28,905After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,409Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,112Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate16.2%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$1,959 / yr
Indiana state income tax$988 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,638 / yr

Restaurant cooks pay range in Fort Wayne, IN, hourly and yearly

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

What restaurant cooks earned in the Fort Wayne, IN metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (IN)
10th percentile$12.50/hr$2,167$26,000$22,284
25th percentile$13.78/hr$2,389$28,670$24,400
MedianMedian$16.58/hr$2,874$34,490$28,905
75th percentile$17.55/hr$3,042$36,500$30,461
90th percentile$19.16/hr$3,322$39,860$33,061

Is $34,490 a good salary in Fort Wayne, IN?

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$71,213Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)92.67.4% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household48.4%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 Fort Wayne, IN: common questions

What is the median salary for restaurant cooks in Fort Wayne, IN?

The BLS median annual wage for restaurant cooks in the Fort Wayne, IN metro area was $34,490 in May 2025, about $2,874 a month or $16.58 an hour. Statewide, the Indiana median for this job is $35,170, so the metro pays 2% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for restaurant cooks in Fort Wayne, IN?

The median hourly wage for restaurant cooks in Fort Wayne, IN was $16.58 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $12.50 an hour and one in ten earned more than $19.16.

How many restaurant cooks work in Fort Wayne, IN?

BLS estimated 2,030 jobs for restaurant cooks in the metro in May 2025, or 9.0 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.99 means the job is about as common here as in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for restaurant cooks in Fort Wayne, IN?

BLS wage estimates for restaurant cooks in Fort Wayne, IN run from $26,000 at the 10th percentile to $28,670 at the 25th, $36,500 at the 75th, and $39,860 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do restaurant cooks take home after taxes in Fort Wayne, IN?

On a median gross salary of $34,490, an estimated $28,905 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,112 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Indiana in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $5,585 (an effective rate of 16.2%).

How much do restaurant cooks make per month in Fort Wayne, IN?

On the median annual salary of $34,490, gross monthly income is $2,874. After federal, FICA, and Indiana state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,409 per month (or $1,112 every two weeks).

Is $34,490 a good salary in Fort Wayne, IN?

At $34,490, the median salary for restaurant cooks is 48.4% of the Fort Wayne, IN median household income ($71,213). It is 28% below the $47,700 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 92.6, so prices here run 7.4% below the U.S. average.