Las Cruces, NM metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a restaurant cook make in Las Cruces, NM?

In the Las Cruces, NM metropolitan area, restaurant cooks earned a median of $30,980 a year ($14.90 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 730 of these jobs there. That is 26% below the $42,070 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $27,610 and $38,750; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and New Mexico tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $26,706 in take-home pay.

Restaurant cook pay in Las Cruces, NM at a glance

Median salary

$30,980$14.90 per hour · $2,582 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$27,610$13.27/hr
25th percentile$29,020$13.95/hr
75th percentile$35,500$17.07/hr
90th percentile$38,750$18.63/hr
Jobs in this metro730Location quotient 1.00 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here26% belowAll-jobs median $42,070
Against New Mexico12% belowStatewide median $35,020
Against the U.S.17% 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 Las Cruces, NM after taxes

$30,980
$15,000$65,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$30,980
Net 86%
Fed 5%
NM 1%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$26,706After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,225Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,027Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate13.8%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$1,538 / yr
New Mexico state income tax$367 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,370 / yr

Restaurant cooks pay range in Las Cruces, NM, hourly and yearly

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

What restaurant cooks earned in the Las Cruces, NM metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (NM)
10th percentile$13.27/hr$2,301$27,610$24,104
25th percentile$13.95/hr$2,418$29,020$25,203
MedianMedian$14.90/hr$2,582$30,980$26,706
75th percentile$17.07/hr$2,958$35,500$30,138
90th percentile$18.63/hr$3,229$38,750$32,602

Is $30,980 a good salary in Las Cruces, NM?

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$56,848Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)90.29.8% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household54.5%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 Las Cruces, NM: common questions

What is the median salary for restaurant cooks in Las Cruces, NM?

The BLS median annual wage for restaurant cooks in the Las Cruces, NM metro area was $30,980 in May 2025, about $2,582 a month or $14.90 an hour. Statewide, the New Mexico median for this job is $35,020, so the metro pays 12% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for restaurant cooks in Las Cruces, NM?

The median hourly wage for restaurant cooks in Las Cruces, NM was $14.90 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $13.27 an hour and one in ten earned more than $18.63.

How many restaurant cooks work in Las Cruces, NM?

BLS estimated 730 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 Las Cruces, NM?

BLS wage estimates for restaurant cooks in Las Cruces, NM run from $27,610 at the 10th percentile to $29,020 at the 25th, $35,500 at the 75th, and $38,750 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do restaurant cooks take home after taxes in Las Cruces, NM?

On a median gross salary of $30,980, an estimated $26,706 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,027 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in New Mexico in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $4,274 (an effective rate of 13.8%).

How much do restaurant cooks make per month in Las Cruces, NM?

On the median annual salary of $30,980, gross monthly income is $2,582. After federal, FICA, and New Mexico state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,225 per month (or $1,027 every two weeks).

Is $30,980 a good salary in Las Cruces, NM?

At $30,980, the median salary for restaurant cooks is 54.5% of the Las Cruces, NM median household income ($56,848). It is 26% below the $42,070 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 90.2, so prices here run 9.8% below the U.S. average.