State comparison · 2025
Cooks, Restaurant salary: Kentucky vs Washington
Cooks, Restaurant in Washington earn a median of $46,800. In Kentucky, $34,640. After cost-of-living, the gap is 12.2% — not 26%.
Nominal pay gap
-26%
Kentucky vs Washington
COL-adjusted gap
-12.2%
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
Washington
Cooks, Restaurant
- Median
- $46,800
- p25
- $42,770
- p75
- $49,540
- p10
- $37,940
- p90
- $57,910
- COL index (BEA RPP)100 = US average
- 107.0
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.