Kansas City, MO-KS metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a restaurant cook make in Kansas City, MO?

In the Kansas City, MO-KS metropolitan area, restaurant cooks earned a median of $37,370 a year ($17.97 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 9,940 of these jobs there. That is 26% below the $50,820 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $30,560 and $46,550; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Kansas tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $30,921 in take-home pay.

Restaurant cook pay in Kansas City, MO at a glance

Median salary

$37,370$17.97 per hour · $3,114 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$30,560$14.69/hr
25th percentile$35,250$16.95/hr
75th percentile$41,690$20.04/hr
90th percentile$46,550$22.38/hr
Jobs in this metro9,940Location quotient 1.00 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here26% belowAll-jobs median $50,820
Against Kansas6% aboveStatewide median $35,130
Against the U.S.about the same asNational 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 Kansas City, MO after taxes

$37,370
$15,000$75,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$37,370
Net 83%
Fed 6%
KS 3%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$30,921After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,577Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,189Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate17.3%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$2,304 / yr
Kansas state income tax$1,286 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,859 / yr

Restaurant cooks pay range in Kansas City, MO, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Kansas City, MO-KS metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What restaurant cooks earned in the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (KS)
10th percentile$14.69/hr$2,547$30,560$25,810
25th percentile$16.95/hr$2,938$35,250$29,334
MedianMedian$17.97/hr$3,114$37,370$30,921
75th percentile$20.04/hr$3,474$41,690$34,151
90th percentile$22.38/hr$3,879$46,550$37,785

Is $37,370 a good salary in Kansas City, MO?

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$83,460Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)92.57.5% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household44.8%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 Kansas City, MO: common questions

What is the median salary for restaurant cooks in Kansas City, MO-KS?

The BLS median annual wage for restaurant cooks in the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area was $37,370 in May 2025, about $3,114 a month or $17.97 an hour. Statewide, the Kansas median for this job is $35,130, so the metro pays 6% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for restaurant cooks in Kansas City, MO-KS?

The median hourly wage for restaurant cooks in Kansas City, MO-KS was $17.97 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $14.69 an hour and one in ten earned more than $22.38.

How many restaurant cooks work in Kansas City, MO-KS?

BLS estimated 9,940 jobs for restaurant cooks in the metro in May 2025, or 9.1 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.00 means the job is about as common here as in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for restaurant cooks in Kansas City, MO-KS?

BLS wage estimates for restaurant cooks in Kansas City, MO-KS run from $30,560 at the 10th percentile to $35,250 at the 25th, $41,690 at the 75th, and $46,550 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do restaurant cooks take home after taxes in Kansas City, MO-KS?

On a median gross salary of $37,370, an estimated $30,921 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,189 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Kansas in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $6,449 (an effective rate of 17.3%).

How much do restaurant cooks make per month in Kansas City, MO-KS?

On the median annual salary of $37,370, gross monthly income is $3,114. After federal, FICA, and Kansas state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,577 per month (or $1,189 every two weeks).

Is $37,370 a good salary in Kansas City, MO-KS?

At $37,370, the median salary for restaurant cooks is 44.8% of the Kansas City, MO-KS median household income ($83,460). It is 26% below the $50,820 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 92.5, so prices here run 7.5% below the U.S. average.