Ithaca, NY metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a restaurant cook make in Ithaca, NY?

In the Ithaca, NY metropolitan area, restaurant cooks earned a median of $39,280 a year ($18.89 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 350 of these jobs there. That is 32% below the $58,130 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $35,140 and $48,330; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and New York tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $32,217 in take-home pay.

Restaurant cook pay in Ithaca, NY at a glance

Median salary

$39,280$18.89 per hour · $3,273 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$35,140$16.90/hr
25th percentile$36,640$17.61/hr
75th percentile$45,040$21.65/hr
90th percentile$48,330$23.24/hr
Jobs in this metro350Location quotient 0.80 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here32% belowAll-jobs median $58,130
Against New York10% belowStatewide median $43,680
Against the U.S.5% aboveNational 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 Ithaca, NY after taxes

$39,280
$15,000$80,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$39,280
Net 82%
Fed 6%
NY 4%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$32,217After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,685Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,239Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate18%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$2,534 / yr
New York state income tax$1,525 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$3,005 / yr

Restaurant cooks pay range in Ithaca, NY, hourly and yearly

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

What restaurant cooks earned in the Ithaca, NY metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (NY)
10th percentile$16.90/hr$2,928$35,140$29,114
25th percentile$17.61/hr$3,053$36,640$30,238
MedianMedian$18.89/hr$3,273$39,280$32,217
75th percentile$21.65/hr$3,753$45,040$36,534
90th percentile$23.24/hr$4,028$48,330$39,000

Is $39,280 a good salary in Ithaca, NY?

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$74,024Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)103.33.3% above national average
One paycheck vs. a household53.1%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 Ithaca, NY: common questions

What is the median salary for restaurant cooks in Ithaca, NY?

The BLS median annual wage for restaurant cooks in the Ithaca, NY metro area was $39,280 in May 2025, about $3,273 a month or $18.89 an hour. Statewide, the New York median for this job is $43,680, so the metro pays 10% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for restaurant cooks in Ithaca, NY?

The median hourly wage for restaurant cooks in Ithaca, NY was $18.89 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $16.90 an hour and one in ten earned more than $23.24.

How many restaurant cooks work in Ithaca, NY?

BLS estimated 350 jobs for restaurant cooks in the metro in May 2025, or 7.3 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.80 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for restaurant cooks in Ithaca, NY?

BLS wage estimates for restaurant cooks in Ithaca, NY run from $35,140 at the 10th percentile to $36,640 at the 25th, $45,040 at the 75th, and $48,330 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do restaurant cooks take home after taxes in Ithaca, NY?

On a median gross salary of $39,280, an estimated $32,217 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,239 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in New York in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $7,063 (an effective rate of 18%).

How much do restaurant cooks make per month in Ithaca, NY?

On the median annual salary of $39,280, gross monthly income is $3,273. After federal, FICA, and New York state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,685 per month (or $1,239 every two weeks).

Is $39,280 a good salary in Ithaca, NY?

At $39,280, the median salary for restaurant cooks is 53.1% of the Ithaca, NY median household income ($74,024). It is 32% below the $58,130 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 103.3, so prices here run 3.3% above the U.S. average.