Paycheck Atlas

Cooks, Restaurant salary in Chicago, IL

The median cooks, restaurant in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earns $38,930 a year, 4% above the US median. After tax that is roughly $2,628 a month.

10th percentile
$32,150
25th percentile
$36,300
Median percentile
$38,930
75th percentile
$45,510
90th percentile
$46,620

Based on 41,690 employed. Data period: BLS OEWS May 2025. Percentiles show the spread of pay, not experience; reading the 25th percentile as "entry level" is only an approximation.

What you keep

$31,533 take-home a year
Gross pay$38,930
Federal income tax−$2,492
Social Security + Medicare−$2,978
Illinois income tax (approx.)−$1,927
Monthly take-home$2,628
Every two weeks$1,213

Does it go far here?

$37,579Median pay in Chicago, IL is worth this at average US prices (local price level 103.6 vs 100).
54%of take-home pay goes to the median rent ($1,430 a month, Census ACS).

Top-paying jobs in Chicago, IL

JobMedian pay
Chief Executives$344,960
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers$293,490
Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric$284,630
Nurse Anesthetists$265,880
Psychiatrists$258,750
Emergency Medicine Physicians$239,200
General Internal Medicine Physicians$226,060
Family Medicine Physicians$225,080

All cooks, restaurant salaries · Take-home pay in Illinois