State comparison · 2025
Cooks, Restaurant salary: Kentucky vs Massachusetts
Cooks, Restaurant in Massachusetts earn a median of $45,600. In Kentucky, $34,640. After cost-of-living, the gap is 10.9% — not 24%.
Nominal pay gap
-24%
Kentucky vs Massachusetts
COL-adjusted gap
-10.9%
After BEA Regional Price Parities
Kentucky
Cooks, Restaurant
- Median
- $34,640
- p25
- $28,850
- p75
- $37,200
- p10
- $24,750
- p90
- $43,750
- COL index (BEA RPP)100 = US average
- 90.2
Massachusetts
Cooks, Restaurant
- Median
- $45,600
- p25
- $38,370
- p75
- $49,040
- p10
- $36,540
- p90
- $58,590
- COL index (BEA RPP)100 = US average
- 105.8
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Cost-of-living adjustment from BEA Regional Price Parities (overall index). Hiring velocity from DOL OFLC public disclosure data, recent 180 days vs prior. See methodology.