Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a restaurant cook make in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY?

In the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metropolitan area, restaurant cooks earned a median of $36,830 a year ($17.71 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 360 of these jobs there. That is 23% below the $47,600 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $32,240 and $43,970; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and New York tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $30,381 in take-home pay.

Restaurant cook pay in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY at a glance

Median salary

$36,830$17.71 per hour · $3,069 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$32,240$15.50/hr
25th percentile$34,440$16.56/hr
75th percentile$39,270$18.88/hr
90th percentile$43,970$21.14/hr
Jobs in this metro360Location quotient 1.02 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here23% belowAll-jobs median $47,600
Against New York16% belowStatewide median $43,680
Against the U.S.1% belowNational median $37,390

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Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Restaurant cook salary in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY after taxes

$36,830
$15,000$75,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$36,830
Net 82%
Fed 6%
NY 4%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$30,381After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,532Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,168Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate17.5%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$2,240 / yr
New York state income tax$1,392 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,818 / yr

Restaurant cooks pay range in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY, hourly and yearly

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

What restaurant cooks earned in the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (NY)
10th percentile$15.50/hr$2,687$32,240$26,940
25th percentile$16.56/hr$2,870$34,440$28,589
MedianMedian$17.71/hr$3,069$36,830$30,381
75th percentile$18.88/hr$3,273$39,270$32,209
90th percentile$21.14/hr$3,664$43,970$35,732

Is $36,830 a good salary in Watertown-Fort Drum, 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$66,301Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)87.712.3% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household55.5%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 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY: common questions

What is the median salary for restaurant cooks in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY?

The BLS median annual wage for restaurant cooks in the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area was $36,830 in May 2025, about $3,069 a month or $17.71 an hour. Statewide, the New York median for this job is $43,680, so the metro pays 16% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for restaurant cooks in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY?

The median hourly wage for restaurant cooks in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY was $17.71 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $15.50 an hour and one in ten earned more than $21.14.

How many restaurant cooks work in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY?

BLS estimated 360 jobs for restaurant cooks in the metro in May 2025, or 9.3 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.02 means the job is about as common here as in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for restaurant cooks in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY?

BLS wage estimates for restaurant cooks in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY run from $32,240 at the 10th percentile to $34,440 at the 25th, $39,270 at the 75th, and $43,970 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do restaurant cooks take home after taxes in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY?

On a median gross salary of $36,830, an estimated $30,381 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,168 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in New York in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $6,449 (an effective rate of 17.5%).

How much do restaurant cooks make per month in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY?

On the median annual salary of $36,830, gross monthly income is $3,069. After federal, FICA, and New York state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,532 per month (or $1,168 every two weeks).

Is $36,830 a good salary in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY?

At $36,830, the median salary for restaurant cooks is 55.5% of the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY median household income ($66,301). It is 23% below the $47,600 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 87.7, so prices here run 12.3% below the U.S. average.