Restaurant Cooks in Virginia

Get the information you need to know about working as a Restaurant Cook.

You’re in luck! Jobs for Restaurant Cooks in Virginia are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

• Projected employment for Restaurant Cooks in Virginia is growing faster than average.

• Restaurant Cooks in Virginia earn lower salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

How Many Restaurant Cooks Work in Virginia?

33,380 people worked as Restaurant Cooks in 2018 in this state.

There were 31,670 Restaurant Cooks employed in this state in 2017.

That’s growth of 1,710 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

The typical state has 17,110 Restaurant Cooks working in it, which means Virginia has more Restaurant Cooks than average.

Job Projections for Virginia

Jobs for Restaurant Cooks in this state are growing at a rate of 14.9% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 11.8%.

Virginia Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates there will be 5,380 annual job openings, and 37,750 total jobs in 2026 for Restaurant Cooks in this state.

Nationwide, the prediction is 195,300 annual jobs and 1,377,200 total jobs in 2026.

What do Restaurant Cooks Make in Virginia?

In 2018 wages for Restaurant Cooks ranged from $18,200 to $37,250 with $24,930 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $8.75 to $17.91. The median hourly rate was $11.99.

Workers in this field were paid a median of $11.34 an hour in 2017.

The hourly rate grew by $0.65.

The median salary in Virginia is higher than the nationwide median salary.

Top Virginia Metros for Restaurant Cooks

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Restaurant Cooks.

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	26,450	$28,860
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC	6,660	$24,320
Richmond, VA	6,420	$23,800
Roanoke, VA	1,460	$22,800
Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA	990	$23,160
Charlottesville, VA	980	$30,020
Lynchburg, VA	590	$22,890
Winchester, VA-WV	560	$25,360
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA	540	$24,710
Staunton-Waynesboro, VA	390	$26,460
Harrisonburg, VA	290	$23,980

Top States for Restaurant Cooks Employment

View the list below to see where most Restaurant Cooks work.

State	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
California	166,420	$29,130
Florida	110,600	$26,960
Texas	110,440	$24,980
New York	73,340	$28,100
Pennsylvania	55,980	$25,290
Illinois	48,660	$27,350
North Carolina	47,350	$23,630
Georgia	37,770	$23,430
Ohio	37,220	$24,730
Michigan	37,160	$24,120
Virginia	33,380	$24,930
Colorado	32,910	$28,460
Washington	32,510	$31,950
Massachusetts	29,880	$30,720
Missouri	28,990	$24,150
Minnesota	28,480	$28,810
Indiana	27,890	$23,350
Arizona	25,570	$26,950
Wisconsin	24,540	$25,150
South Carolina	24,430	$22,840

Below are the states where Restaurant Cooks get paid the most:

State	Annual Median Salary
District of Columbia	$32,580
Washington	$31,950
New Jersey	$30,870
Hawaii	$30,830
Massachusetts	$30,720
Vermont	$30,620
Rhode Island	$30,130
Nevada	$30,060
Alaska	$29,270
Connecticut	$29,170

Related Careers in VA

Discover similar careers:

Occupation	VA Employment Total

What Major Will Prepare You For a Restaurant Cook Career?

• Personal & Culinary Services
• Culinary Arts
• General Cooking & Related Culinary Arts
• Culinary Arts/Chef Training

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• Image Credit: By U.S. Army Europe Images under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.