State comparison · 2025
Cooks, Restaurant salary: Massachusetts vs Tennessee
Cooks, Restaurant in Massachusetts earn a median of $45,600. In Tennessee, $36,420. After cost-of-living, the gap is 8.8% — not 25.2%.
Nominal pay gap
+25.2%
Massachusetts vs Tennessee
COL-adjusted gap
+8.8%
After BEA Regional Price Parities
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
Tennessee
Cooks, Restaurant
- Median
- $36,420
- p25
- $30,610
- p75
- $40,740
- p10
- $27,910
- p90
- $45,650
- COL index (BEA RPP)100 = US average
- 91.9
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.