Cooks, Restaurant salary
in Charleston-North Charleston, SC
- Middle 50%
- $30,070–$44,570
- vs U.S. median
- -2%
- Metro rank
- #181 of 527
Cooks, Restaurant in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro earn a median of $36,710 a year, based on BLS estimates for 6,040 jobs (May 2025). That is 2% below the U.S. median of $37,390 and 3% above the SC statewide median of $35,740. It ranks #181 of 527 metros with published figures for this job.
- SOURCEBLS OEWS, May 2025
- SAMPLE6,040 jobs (estimate)
- SCOPEall employers, all experience levels
- PERIODMay 2025 estimates
Full percentile breakdown
BLS · metro vs U.S.
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Cooks, Restaurant pay in other SC metros
8 metros · BLS
| Metro | Median |
|---|---|
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC | $36,820 |
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | $35,680 |
| Spartanburg, SC | $35,500 |
| Columbia, SC | $35,490 |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC | $35,190 |
| Northeastern South Carolina nonmetropolitan area | $34,880 |
| Florence, SC | $34,550 |
| Northwestern South Carolina nonmetropolitan area | $32,430 |
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RELATED JOBS IN CHARLESTON
Questions
What is the average Cooks, Restaurant salary in Charleston?
The BLS median is $36,710 a year (May 2025). Half of the 6,040 jobs pay between $30,070 and $44,570. The 10th percentile is $26,580 and the 90th is $46,630.
Is Charleston a high-paying metro for Cooks, Restaurant?
That is 2% below the U.S. median of $37,390 and 3% above the SC statewide median of $35,740. It ranks #181 of 527 U.S. metros with published BLS figures for this job.
How much do Cooks, Restaurant make an hour in Charleston?
About $17.65 an hour at the median (the BLS annual figure of $36,710 divided by 2,080 hours, the conversion BLS uses). The middle half earn about $14.46–$21.43 an hour. Straight-time pay, before overtime and shift differentials.
Does this include experience levels?
BLS figures cover all experience levels together. Employer filings carry a DOL wage level, which the free checker can filter by (approximate).
Sources: U.S. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (national + state) (metro area estimates, all employers); employer rows from U.S. DOL OFLC LCA Disclosure Data, FY2026 Q3 (LCA_Disclosure_Data_FY2026_Q3.xlsx). Base pay only. Estimates can have sampling error, especially for smaller metros.