Cooks, Restaurant Average Salary in Rhode Island
$40,290 average · $40,290 median · BLS OEWS 2025
SOC Code: 35-2014What is this?
This page shows employer-reported wages for Cooks, Restaurant in Rhode Island, drawn from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey — median and mean pay, the full percentile distribution, and the industries that employ this occupation locally. For tipped roles, venue economics dominate — the same skills earn multiples more at a high-volume, high-check establishment. For kitchen roles, the ladder from line cook through sous chef to kitchen manager is the pay path, and it is climbed by demonstrated reliability more than credentials. Hotel and institutional food service generally out-pays restaurants at equivalent levels and adds benefits.
How much do Cooks, Restaurant make in Rhode Island?
The average cooks, restaurant salary in Rhode Island is $40,290 per year. That works out to about $19.37 per hour on average. BLS counts roughly 6,950 cooks, restaurant jobs in Rhode Island.
Mean and median are close, so pay is relatively concentrated around $40,290. Entry-level roles (10th percentile) report about $40,290; experienced workers at the 90th percentile report about $40,290 — a 0% spread from bottom to top. Figures are employer-reported wages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — not self-reported survey averages — so they are the right baseline for offers, raises, and relocation decisions in this market.
How Food Preparation and Serving Careers Are Structured
Food service is the largest low-wage occupational group in the country, and also one where the published data most understates true variation: tipped earnings are inconsistently captured, so wages for servers and bartenders in busy, high-priced markets can run far above the recorded figures, while quiet-market wages match them.
The wage tables and percentile chart on this page show how cooks, restaurant pay is distributed in Rhode Island specifically — and because state-level wages for the same occupation routinely differ by 30% or more, the local figures here are the ones that matter for offers, raises, and relocation decisions in this market.
What Moves Pay in This Field
For tipped roles, venue economics dominate — the same skills earn multiples more at a high-volume, high-check establishment. For kitchen roles, the ladder from line cook through sous chef to kitchen manager is the pay path, and it is climbed by demonstrated reliability more than credentials. Hotel and institutional food service generally out-pays restaurants at equivalent levels and adds benefits.
Entry is immediate and the skills are learned working. The realistic financial trajectories are: into supervision (the first-line supervisor premium over crew wages is visible and substantial in this data), into institutional settings with benefits, or out — food service experience transfers credibly into sales, customer success, and operations roles with stronger distributions.
New to reading wage distributions? Our guide to salary percentiles explains how to place yourself on the chart above, and the negotiation playbook shows how to use these numbers in an actual conversation.
Critical Worker ShortageBright Outlook
Cooks, Restaurant is experiencing a critical labor shortage. Employers are actively competing for qualified candidates.
What Do Cooks, Restaurant Do?
Cooks, Restaurant positions belong to the food preparation and serving field. Food service is the largest low-wage occupational group in the country, and also one where the published data most understates true variation: tipped earnings are inconsistently captured, so wages for servers and bartenders in busy, high-priced markets can run far above the recorded figures, while quiet-market wages match them.
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Code: 35-2014
Cooks, Restaurant pay in Rhode Island
In Rhode Island, cooks, restaurant report a median of $40,290 (about $19.37/hour) across roughly 6,950 jobs. The local pay band runs from about $40,290 at the 10th percentile to $40,290 at the 90th.
Compared with the national distribution, local industry mix and cost of living are the main reasons Rhode Island wages for this occupation sit where they do — toggle Regional Price Parity on this page to see purchasing-power-adjusted pay.
What your paycheck is really worth in Rhode Island
Prices in Rhode Island run 2% above the national average (RPP 102.3). So a nominal salary of $40,290 has the buying power of about $39,392 in national terms.
Rhode Island vs. United States for Cooks, Restaurant
The median cooks, restaurant salary in Rhode Island is $40,290, which is +4.4% above the national median of $38,600 (mean pay is +4.1% above the U.S. mean of $38,701). Among 51 states and D.C. with OEWS data, Rhode Island ranks #16 by median wage for this occupation. Rhode Island accounts for about 0.1% of U.S. cooks, restaurant employment in the latest OEWS release.
See every state ranked for this occupation on the best-paying states page, or compare purchasing power on real wages.
Income reality check
The median salary for Cooks, Restaurant in Rhode Island of $40,290 falls in the Stably paid band of this framework - roughly ~12% of the U.S. population and ~15% of the global population sit in this band.
Illustrative relative standing for education only - this ladder is a simplified framework, not an official Census, BLS, or World Bank statistical series. Salary figures on Wage Atlas come from official BLS OEWS data.
Salary Overview
Salary Distribution & Your Position
Advance Your Career
Ready to level up? Find courses, certifications, and coaching to boost your salary potential.
AI Replacement Risk Analysis
Forward-looking analysis of automation and AI impact
- Physical presence and manual skills required
Includes risk scoring, timeline estimates, adaptation strategies, and more
Occupation Report Card
Job Outlook 2023-2033
Official BLS Employment Projections for Cooks, Restaurant
Skills & What You Do
No formal educational credential typically required
- Prepare and cook menu items
- Maintain kitchen sanitation
- Monitor food quality
- Estimate ingredient needs
Top Industries for Cooks, Restaurant
| $41,505 | $39,640 | $20 | 99,850 | |
| $38,517 | $37,428 | $19 | 4,964,860 |
Related Occupations
SOC: 43-9061 • 87% match | $46,270 | $46,420 | $22 | 14,034,620 |
SOC: 53-7062 • 92% match | $42,117 | $42,260 | $20 | 15,269,800 |
SOC: 53-7065 • 94% match | $39,579 | $39,440 | $19 | 14,316,800 |
| $39,122 | $38,760 | $19 | 12,706,340 | |
| Find Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners Jobs | ||||
SOC: 31-1120 • 92% match | $36,156 | $36,010 | $17 | 48,535,960 |
| $33,202 | $33,180 | $16 | 15,770,510 | |
Related Occupations
Explore similar occupations and career paths:
Cooks Restaurant in Other States
Compare salaries for this occupation across different states:
Explore More Data for Cooks Restaurant
Career Advancement Strategy
Skills to Develop
Fastest growing skill in marketing technology
High ROI focus drives salary premiums
Data-driven marketing is becoming standard
Essential for senior marketing roles
Required for VP and C-level positions
Explore Similar Careers
Related Metrics
Viewing: Cooks, Restaurant (SOC: 35-2014)