Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a restaurant cook make in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN?

In the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metropolitan area, restaurant cooks earned a median of $39,640 a year ($19.06 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 17,760 of these jobs there. That is 33% below the $59,320 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $35,310 and $48,160; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Minnesota tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $32,729 in take-home pay.

Restaurant cook pay in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN at a glance

Median salary

$39,640$19.06 per hour · $3,303 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$35,310$16.98/hr
25th percentile$37,110$17.84/hr
75th percentile$46,440$22.33/hr
90th percentile$48,160$23.15/hr
Jobs in this metro17,760Location quotient 1.00 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here33% belowAll-jobs median $59,320
Against Minnesota3% aboveStatewide median $38,590
Against the U.S.6% 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 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN after taxes

$39,640
$15,000$80,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$39,640
Net 83%
Fed 7%
MN 3%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$32,729After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,727Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,259Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate17.4%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$2,577 / yr
Minnesota state income tax$1,302 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$3,032 / yr

Restaurant cooks pay range in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What restaurant cooks earned in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (MN)
10th percentile$16.98/hr$2,943$35,310$29,481
25th percentile$17.84/hr$3,093$37,110$30,831
MedianMedian$19.06/hr$3,303$39,640$32,729
75th percentile$22.33/hr$3,870$46,440$37,829
90th percentile$23.15/hr$4,013$48,160$39,119

Is $39,640 a good salary in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN?

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$99,833Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)104.84.8% above national average
One paycheck vs. a household39.7%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 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN: common questions

What is the median salary for restaurant cooks in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

The BLS median annual wage for restaurant cooks in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area was $39,640 in May 2025, about $3,303 a month or $19.06 an hour. Statewide, the Minnesota median for this job is $38,590, so the metro pays 3% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for restaurant cooks in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

The median hourly wage for restaurant cooks in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI was $19.06 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $16.98 an hour and one in ten earned more than $23.15.

How many restaurant cooks work in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

BLS estimated 17,760 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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

BLS wage estimates for restaurant cooks in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI run from $35,310 at the 10th percentile to $37,110 at the 25th, $46,440 at the 75th, and $48,160 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do restaurant cooks take home after taxes in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

On a median gross salary of $39,640, an estimated $32,729 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,259 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Minnesota in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $6,911 (an effective rate of 17.4%).

How much do restaurant cooks make per month in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

On the median annual salary of $39,640, gross monthly income is $3,303. After federal, FICA, and Minnesota state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,727 per month (or $1,259 every two weeks).

Is $39,640 a good salary in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

At $39,640, the median salary for restaurant cooks is 39.7% of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI median household income ($99,833). It is 33% below the $59,320 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 104.8, so prices here run 4.8% above the U.S. average.