Paducah, KY-IL metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a restaurant cook make in Paducah, KY?

In the Paducah, KY-IL metropolitan area, restaurant cooks earned a median of $31,200 a year ($15.00 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 32% below the $45,860 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $26,770 and $37,150; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Illinois tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $25,850 in take-home pay.

Restaurant cook pay in Paducah, KY at a glance

Median salary

$31,200$15.00 per hour · $2,600 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$26,770$12.87/hr
25th percentile$29,010$13.95/hr
75th percentile$36,150$17.38/hr
90th percentile$37,150$17.86/hr
Jobs in this metro490Location quotient 1.07 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here32% belowAll-jobs median $45,860
Against Illinois17% belowStatewide median $37,580
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 Paducah, KY after taxes

$31,200
$15,000$65,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$31,200
Net 83%
Fed 5%
IL 4%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$25,850After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,154Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$994Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate17.2%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$1,564 / yr
Illinois state income tax$1,400 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,387 / yr

Restaurant cooks pay range in Paducah, KY, hourly and yearly

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

What restaurant cooks earned in the Paducah, KY-IL metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (IL)
10th percentile$12.87/hr$2,231$26,770$22,475
25th percentile$13.95/hr$2,418$29,010$24,198
MedianMedian$15.00/hr$2,600$31,200$25,850
75th percentile$17.38/hr$3,013$36,150$29,582
90th percentile$17.86/hr$3,096$37,150$30,336

Is $31,200 a good salary in Paducah, KY?

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$64,160Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)86.113.9% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household48.6%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 Paducah, KY: common questions

What is the median salary for restaurant cooks in Paducah, KY-IL?

The BLS median annual wage for restaurant cooks in the Paducah, KY-IL metro area was $31,200 in May 2025, about $2,600 a month or $15.00 an hour. Statewide, the Illinois median for this job is $37,580, so the metro pays 17% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for restaurant cooks in Paducah, KY-IL?

The median hourly wage for restaurant cooks in Paducah, KY-IL was $15.00 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $12.87 an hour and one in ten earned more than $17.86.

How many restaurant cooks work in Paducah, KY-IL?

BLS estimated 490 jobs for restaurant cooks in the metro in May 2025, or 9.7 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.07 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for restaurant cooks in Paducah, KY-IL?

BLS wage estimates for restaurant cooks in Paducah, KY-IL run from $26,770 at the 10th percentile to $29,010 at the 25th, $36,150 at the 75th, and $37,150 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do restaurant cooks take home after taxes in Paducah, KY-IL?

On a median gross salary of $31,200, an estimated $25,850 lands in net take-home pay per year ($994 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Illinois in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $5,350 (an effective rate of 17.1%).

How much do restaurant cooks make per month in Paducah, KY-IL?

On the median annual salary of $31,200, gross monthly income is $2,600. After federal, FICA, and Illinois state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,154 per month (or $994 every two weeks).

Is $31,200 a good salary in Paducah, KY-IL?

At $31,200, the median salary for restaurant cooks is 48.6% of the Paducah, KY-IL median household income ($64,160). It is 32% below the $45,860 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 86.1, so prices here run 13.9% below the U.S. average.