SOC 35-2014 · Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations · May 2025
How much do Cooks, Restaurant make in Grand Junction, CO?
In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Cooks, Restaurant in Grand Junction, CO is $36,420. The 10th percentile is $31,030 and the 90th percentile is $45,810. Employment is 690.
Median annual wage
$36,420
- 10th percentile
- $31,030
- 25th percentile
- $34,630
- Median
- $36,420
- 75th percentile
- $41,530
- 90th percentile
- $45,810
- Mean
- $38,310
Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Percentile spread
For Cooks, Restaurant, the published 10th percentile is $31,030 and the 90th percentile is $45,810. The difference is $14,780, which is 40.6% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.
The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $34,630 to the 75th at $41,530, covers $6,900.
The mean annual wage is $38,310, which sits above the median of $36,420. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.
National and state comparison
The Grand Junction, CO median is 2.6% lower than the national median of $37,390 for Cooks, Restaurant. In 2024 national prices the local median is $38,146, which is 2% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.
It is 12.5% lower than the Colorado median of $41,600.
Price-adjusted pay
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Grand Junction, CO is 95.476, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $36,420 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Cooks, Restaurant at $38,146 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.
Nearby metros
4 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Cooks, Restaurant. Grand Junction, CO ranks 4th of 5 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).
- Farmington, NM is 173 miles away, with a median of $34,540 and employment of 370. That median is 5.2% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $39,381, against $38,146 here.
- Boulder, CO is 179 miles away, with a median of $42,220 and employment of 2,190. That median is 15.9% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $40,132, against $38,146 here.
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO is 193 miles away, with a median of $44,370 and employment of 15,410. That median is 21.8% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $41,945, against $38,146 here.
Employment share
Cooks, Restaurant accounts for 1.0% of wage-and-salary employment in Grand Junction, CO (690 of 67,170). Nationally the occupation is 0.91% of employment (1,409,890 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.13 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.
Highest-paying jobs in Grand Junction, CO · Cooks, Restaurant by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices
Questions this page answers
How much do Cooks, Restaurant make in Grand Junction, CO?
In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Cooks, Restaurant in Grand Junction, CO is $36,420. The 10th percentile is $31,030 and the 90th percentile is $45,810. Employment is 690.
How does that compare with the national median for Cooks, Restaurant?
The local median is 2.6% lower than the national median of $37,390.
What is Cooks, Restaurant pay in Grand Junction, CO after local prices?
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Grand Junction, CO is 95.476, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $36,420 is $38,146. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.
How does Grand Junction, CO compare with nearby metros for Cooks, Restaurant?
Farmington, NM is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 173 miles away, at $34,540. Grand Junction, CO ranks 4th of 5 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.