Wichita, KS metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a restaurant cook make in Wichita, KS?

In the Wichita, KS metropolitan area, restaurant cooks earned a median of $34,510 a year ($16.59 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 2,810 of these jobs there. That is 28% below the $47,630 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $24,270 and $42,310; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Kansas tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $28,778 in take-home pay.

Restaurant cook pay in Wichita, KS at a glance

Median salary

$34,510$16.59 per hour · $2,876 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$24,270$11.67/hr
25th percentile$29,910$14.38/hr
75th percentile$36,240$17.42/hr
90th percentile$42,310$20.34/hr
Jobs in this metro2,810Location quotient 1.01 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here28% belowAll-jobs median $47,630
Against Kansas2% belowStatewide median $35,130
Against the U.S.8% 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 Wichita, KS after taxes

$34,510
$15,000$70,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$34,510
Net 83%
Fed 6%
KS 3%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$28,778After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,398Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,107Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate16.6%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$1,961 / yr
Kansas state income tax$1,131 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,640 / yr

Restaurant cooks pay range in Wichita, KS, hourly and yearly

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

What restaurant cooks earned in the Wichita, KS metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (KS)
10th percentile$11.67/hr$2,023$24,270$20,998
25th percentile$14.38/hr$2,493$29,910$25,321
MedianMedian$16.59/hr$2,876$34,510$28,778
75th percentile$17.42/hr$3,020$36,240$30,076
90th percentile$20.34/hr$3,526$42,310$34,615

Is $34,510 a good salary in Wichita, KS?

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$70,655Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)88.911.1% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household48.8%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 Wichita, KS: common questions

What is the median salary for restaurant cooks in Wichita, KS?

The BLS median annual wage for restaurant cooks in the Wichita, KS metro area was $34,510 in May 2025, about $2,876 a month or $16.59 an hour. Statewide, the Kansas median for this job is $35,130, so the metro pays 2% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for restaurant cooks in Wichita, KS?

The median hourly wage for restaurant cooks in Wichita, KS was $16.59 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $11.67 an hour and one in ten earned more than $20.34.

How many restaurant cooks work in Wichita, KS?

BLS estimated 2,810 jobs for restaurant cooks in the metro in May 2025, or 9.1 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.01 means the job is about as common here as in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for restaurant cooks in Wichita, KS?

BLS wage estimates for restaurant cooks in Wichita, KS run from $24,270 at the 10th percentile to $29,910 at the 25th, $36,240 at the 75th, and $42,310 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do restaurant cooks take home after taxes in Wichita, KS?

On a median gross salary of $34,510, an estimated $28,778 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,107 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Kansas in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $5,732 (an effective rate of 16.6%).

How much do restaurant cooks make per month in Wichita, KS?

On the median annual salary of $34,510, gross monthly income is $2,876. After federal, FICA, and Kansas state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,398 per month (or $1,107 every two weeks).

Is $34,510 a good salary in Wichita, KS?

At $34,510, the median salary for restaurant cooks is 48.8% of the Wichita, KS median household income ($70,655). It is 28% below the $47,630 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 88.9, so prices here run 11.1% below the U.S. average.