Line cook salary in 2026
Median pay, hourly rates, top-paying cities, and live line cook jobs from MAJC's coverage area. Numbers below combine U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics with 171 active postings.
Median (national)
$36,420
$17.51/hr · BLS May 2024
Top 10 percent
$51K+
$24.33/hr effective
MAJC posted median
$22
From 102 disclosed
National pay for line cooks
$36,420median, full year
About $17.51/hr. Top 10 percent earn $51K+.
Of 102 MAJC postings disclosing salary in this category, median is $22. Source: actual job postings
BLS Occupation 35-2014Cooks, Restaurant, May 2024. Source
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Line cook pay by city
MAJC-active metros with at least one disclosed line cook salary in the last 14 days. Median is across disclosed postings only; sample size noted per row.
How line cooks push pay above median
- Volume + format leverage. High-cover-count concepts (200+ covers, multi-outlet hotels) pay more than small independents — same role, different scope.
- Specialized knowledge. Wine or spirits certification, specific cuisine training, or technical systems (POS, inventory) all command premiums.
- Bilingual fluency. English/Spanish in the U.S. hospitality market is consistently worth a meaningful bump.
- Tenure + leadership. "Lead" or "Head" prefixes typically signal 15–30% over an "Associate" version of the same role.
- Disclosed-salary postings. Filter MAJC for line cook jobs with disclosed pay — those tend to be the ones that compete on number, not vibes.
Top-paying live line cook jobs right now
Highest disclosed salaries across 171 active line cook postings.
- $48k to $54k
Cook
- $43k to $48k
COOK
- $35 to $45
Amazing Athletes Afterschool Cooking Instructor
- $20 to $36
Line Cook
Frequently asked
- What is the average line cook salary?
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics median annual pay for cooks, restaurant is $36,420 ($17.51/hr) as of May 2024. The top 10% earn $51K or more.
- How much does a line cook make per hour?
- BLS reports a median hourly rate of $17.51/hr for cooks, restaurant. Tipped roles (server, bartender, busser) can substantially exceed the base hourly with gratuities.
- Which cities pay line cooks the most?
- Major metros (Miami, Houston, and high-tourist coastal cities) typically pay line cooks 10–20% above the national median. See the city breakdown above for live disclosed rates.
- What skills increase line cook pay the most?
- In hospitality, the biggest pay drivers are: specialized cuisine or beverage knowledge, fluency in a second language (Spanish in the U.S.), high-volume service experience, and proven leadership of a team. POS proficiency (Toast, Tock, Resy) and inventory or P&L responsibility also push pay above median.
- How do I find a line cook job that pays above median?
- Filter MAJC's line cook listings by "Salary listed" to surface postings with disclosed pay, then sort by salary. Hotels and high-cover-count restaurants tend to disclose more often than smaller independents. Browse all 171 line cook listings below.