Cooks, Restaurant Salary in Ames, IA
According to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the median annual wage for Cooks, Restaurant in Ames, IA is $36,410. BLS estimates approximately 570 people work in this occupation in Ames, IA. Ames, IA is 2.6% below the national median ($37,390).
Salary Distribution
Not everyone earns the median. Percentile wages show the range of pay within this occupation.
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $29,380 | $14.12 |
| 25th percentile | $31,210 | $15.00 |
| Median (50th) | $36,410 | $17.51 |
| 75th percentile | $42,630 | $20.50 |
| 90th percentile | $48,200 | $23.17 |
Data Reliability
BLS OEWS is a survey, not a full census — every estimate carries a margin of error. The relative standard error (RSE) below is BLS’s own measure of how much an estimate could vary; lower is more precise.
- Wage estimate
- RSE 3.2% — Very reliable
- Employment estimate
- RSE 7% — Reliable
Where Does Your Salary Fall?
Enter an annual salary to see roughly where it falls among reported wages for this occupation, based on the percentile points above.
Concentration
- Jobs per 1,000
- 10.268
- Location quotient
- 1.13
Cost-of-Living Adjusted Salary
Ames, IA’s regional price level is below the national average (index 88.83, where 100 = U.S. average). Adjusted for that, the median salary has the purchasing power of $40,988 at the national price level.
This is a Career Atlas USA calculation based on BLS wage data and BEA Regional Price Parities. It is not a separate BLS wage estimate. Wage data: May 2025. Cost-of-living data: 2024.
Sources
Wage data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) — May 2025 (release 25).
Figures shown as “Not available” reflect wages the source does not publish (e.g. suppressed for reliability), not zero.