Cooks, Restaurant pay in Wisconsin
$36,690avg. a year
$17.64 an hour · 25,410 employed
Cooks, Restaurant in Wisconsin earn an average of $36,690 a year. That is $2,040 (5%) less than the U.S. average of $38,730. The best-paying metro area is Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI at $41,850.
$36,550Median pay
$17.64Average hourly
+34%Avg. pay since 2020
#32Of 50 states + D.C.
Top-paying Wisconsin metro areas
Average pay for cooks, restaurant by metro area. Swipe to see all 15.
117,760 jobs
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
$41,850
$20.12 an hour
23,190 jobs
Madison, WI
$39,150
$18.82 an hour
37,220 jobs
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI
$37,810
$18.18 an hour
41,460 jobs
Duluth, MN-WI
$37,020
$17.80 an hour
5640 jobs
Kenosha, WI
$36,730
$17.66 an hour
61,620 jobs
Green Bay, WI
$36,280
$17.44 an hour
7700 jobs
Oshkosh-Neenah, WI
$35,870
$17.25 an hour
8860 jobs
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN
$35,820
$17.22 an hour
91,060 jobs
Appleton, WI
$35,740
$17.18 an hour
10450 jobs
Sheboygan, WI
$35,470
$17.05 an hour
11600 jobs
Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI
$35,380
$17.01 an hour
12640 jobs
Janesville-Beloit, WI
$35,320
$16.98 an hour
13530 jobs
Wausau, WI
$34,980
$16.82 an hour
14790 jobs
Eau Claire, WI
$34,850
$16.75 an hour
15320 jobs
Fond du Lac, WI
$34,480
$16.58 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Cooks, Restaurant pay in Wisconsin, charted
Pay over time
Wisconsin, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where Wisconsin cooks, restaurant work
Employment by metro area, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · Wisconsin highlighted · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $35k$35k–$38k$38k–$42k$42k+Wisconsin
Wisconsin vs. neighbors
Average pay, May 2025
| Area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $38,730 | $18.62 |
| Wisconsin | $36,690 | $17.64 |
| Minnesota | $40,210 | $19.33 |
| Illinois | $39,520 | $19.00 |
| Michigan | $37,570 | $18.06 |
| Iowa | $35,700 | $17.16 |
Related jobs in Wisconsin
Average pay, Wisconsin, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Questions and answers
How much do cooks, restaurant make in Wisconsin?
The average is $36,690 a year, and the median is $36,550. That is $2,040 (5%) less than the U.S. average of $38,730.
What is the hourly wage in Wisconsin?
$17.64 an hour on average; the median is $17.57.
Where in Wisconsin do they earn the most?
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI ($41,850), followed by Madison, WI ($39,150). The lowest average among 15 metro areas with data is Fond du Lac, WI ($34,480).
How does Wisconsin rank?
Wisconsin ranks #32 of 51 states (including D.C.) with published data for this job, by average pay.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 35-2014. State rank compares average pay across states with published data. Metro figures cover metropolitan statistical areas; a metro area can cross state lines. See also the national cooks, restaurant page. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.