Gainesville, FL metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a restaurant cook make in Gainesville, FL?

In the Gainesville, FL metropolitan area, restaurant cooks earned a median of $35,760 a year ($17.19 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 1,320 of these jobs there. That is 24% below the $47,020 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $29,490 and $44,630; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Florida tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $30,913 in take-home pay.

Restaurant cook pay in Gainesville, FL at a glance

Median salary

$35,760$17.19 per hour · $2,980 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$29,490$14.18/hr
25th percentile$34,630$16.65/hr
75th percentile$37,310$17.94/hr
90th percentile$44,630$21.46/hr
Jobs in this metro1,320Location quotient 0.95 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here24% belowAll-jobs median $47,020
Against Florida3% belowStatewide median $37,020
Against the U.S.4% 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 Gainesville, FL after taxes

$35,760
$15,000$75,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$35,760
Net 86%
Fed 6%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$30,913After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,576Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,189Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate13.6%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$2,111 / yr
Florida state income taxNo state wage tax$0
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,736 / yr

Restaurant cooks pay range in Gainesville, FL, hourly and yearly

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

What restaurant cooks earned in the Gainesville, FL metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (FL)
10th percentile$14.18/hr$2,458$29,490$25,875
25th percentile$16.65/hr$2,886$34,630$30,005
MedianMedian$17.19/hr$2,980$35,760$30,913
75th percentile$17.94/hr$3,109$37,310$32,159
90th percentile$21.46/hr$3,719$44,630$38,040

Is $35,760 a good salary in Gainesville, FL?

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$61,468Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)96.73.3% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household58.2%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 Gainesville, FL: common questions

What is the median salary for restaurant cooks in Gainesville, FL?

The BLS median annual wage for restaurant cooks in the Gainesville, FL metro area was $35,760 in May 2025, about $2,980 a month or $17.19 an hour. Statewide, the Florida median for this job is $37,020, so the metro pays 3% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for restaurant cooks in Gainesville, FL?

The median hourly wage for restaurant cooks in Gainesville, FL was $17.19 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $14.18 an hour and one in ten earned more than $21.46.

How many restaurant cooks work in Gainesville, FL?

BLS estimated 1,320 jobs for restaurant cooks in the metro in May 2025, or 8.7 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.95 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for restaurant cooks in Gainesville, FL?

BLS wage estimates for restaurant cooks in Gainesville, FL run from $29,490 at the 10th percentile to $34,630 at the 25th, $37,310 at the 75th, and $44,630 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do restaurant cooks take home after taxes in Gainesville, FL?

On a median gross salary of $35,760, an estimated $30,913 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,189 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Florida in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $4,847 (an effective rate of 13.6%).

How much do restaurant cooks make per month in Gainesville, FL?

On the median annual salary of $35,760, gross monthly income is $2,980. After federal, FICA, and Florida state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,576 per month (or $1,189 every two weeks).

Is $35,760 a good salary in Gainesville, FL?

At $35,760, the median salary for restaurant cooks is 58.2% of the Gainesville, FL median household income ($61,468). It is 24% below the $47,020 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 96.7, so prices here run 3.3% below the U.S. average.