Great Falls, MT metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a restaurant cook make in Great Falls, MT?

In the Great Falls, MT metropolitan area, restaurant cooks earned a median of $36,610 a year ($17.60 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 490 of these jobs there. That is 21% below the $46,510 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $28,700 and $46,140; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Montana tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $30,632 in take-home pay.

Restaurant cook pay in Great Falls, MT at a glance

Median salary

$36,610$17.60 per hour · $3,051 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$28,700$13.80/hr
25th percentile$30,430$14.63/hr
75th percentile$38,640$18.58/hr
90th percentile$46,140$22.18/hr
Jobs in this metro490Location quotient 1.47 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here21% belowAll-jobs median $46,510
Against Montana4% belowStatewide median $38,060
Against the U.S.2% 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 Great Falls, MT after taxes

$36,610
$15,000$75,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$36,610
Net 84%
Fed 6%
MT 3%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$30,632After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,553Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,178Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate16.3%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$2,213 / yr
Montana state income tax$964 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,801 / yr

Restaurant cooks pay range in Great Falls, MT, hourly and yearly

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

What restaurant cooks earned in the Great Falls, MT metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (MT)
10th percentile$13.80/hr$2,392$28,700$24,648
25th percentile$14.63/hr$2,536$30,430$25,957
MedianMedian$17.60/hr$3,051$36,610$30,632
75th percentile$18.58/hr$3,220$38,640$32,168
90th percentile$22.18/hr$3,845$46,140$37,842

Is $36,610 a good salary in Great Falls, MT?

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$67,690Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)96.83.2% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household54.1%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 Great Falls, MT: common questions

What is the median salary for restaurant cooks in Great Falls, MT?

The BLS median annual wage for restaurant cooks in the Great Falls, MT metro area was $36,610 in May 2025, about $3,051 a month or $17.60 an hour. Statewide, the Montana median for this job is $38,060, so the metro pays 4% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for restaurant cooks in Great Falls, MT?

The median hourly wage for restaurant cooks in Great Falls, MT was $17.60 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $13.80 an hour and one in ten earned more than $22.18.

How many restaurant cooks work in Great Falls, MT?

BLS estimated 490 jobs for restaurant cooks in the metro in May 2025, or 13.3 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.47 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for restaurant cooks in Great Falls, MT?

BLS wage estimates for restaurant cooks in Great Falls, MT run from $28,700 at the 10th percentile to $30,430 at the 25th, $38,640 at the 75th, and $46,140 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do restaurant cooks take home after taxes in Great Falls, MT?

On a median gross salary of $36,610, an estimated $30,632 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,178 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Montana in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $5,978 (an effective rate of 16.3%).

How much do restaurant cooks make per month in Great Falls, MT?

On the median annual salary of $36,610, gross monthly income is $3,051. After federal, FICA, and Montana state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,553 per month (or $1,178 every two weeks).

Is $36,610 a good salary in Great Falls, MT?

At $36,610, the median salary for restaurant cooks is 54.1% of the Great Falls, MT median household income ($67,690). It is 21% below the $46,510 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 96.8, so prices here run 3.2% below the U.S. average.