Average Fine Dining Cook Salary in Washington D.C., United States for 2025

In this article, we will look at the average Fine Dining Cook salary for 2025 in Washington D.C. and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Fine Dining Cook Make in Washington D.C.?

A Fine Dining Cook working in Washington D.C. will typically earn around 91,200 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 45,200 USD to the highest average salary of 142,100 USD.

Average Annual Salary91,200 USD
Average Monthly Salary7,600 USD
Average Lowest Salary45,200 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary3,766 USD
Average Highest Salary142,100 USD
Highest Monthly Salary11,841 USD

These are average salaries for a Fine Dining Cook in Washington D.C. and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Fine Dining Cook to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Fine Dining Cook salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Fine Dining Cook Salaries in Washington D.C.

So we've looked at the average salaries a Fine Dining Cook will earn in Washington D.C.. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Fine Dining Cook can earn between 45,200 USD and 142,100 USD on average in Washington D.C.. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Fine Dining Cook in Washington D.C. is 91,200 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 91,200 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 91,200 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Fine Dining Cook salary in Washington D.C., 25% of the population are earning less than 63,200 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 63,200 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 114,300 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 114,300 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Fine Dining Cook Salary by Experience Level in Washington D.C.

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average Fine Dining Cook salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Fine Dining Cook in Washington D.C. that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 54,700 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Fine Dining Cook salary would increase to 70,500 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Fine Dining Cook, the average salary would be 96,500 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 116,400 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Fine Dining Cook with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 125,400 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Fine Dining Cook with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 132,000 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
54,700 USD
2-5 Years+32%
70,500 USD
5-10 Years+34%
96,500 USD
10-15 Years+19%
116,400 USD
15-20 Years+8%
125,400 USD
20+ Years+7%
132,000 USD

Fine Dining Cook Salary by Education Level in Washington D.C.

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Fine Dining Cook in Washington D.C. based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Fine Dining Cook in Washington D.C. with a high school education can earn an average salary of 81,300 USD.
  • Certificate or Diploma. A Fine Dining Cook in Washington D.C. with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 130,500 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School-
81,300 USD
Certificate or Diploma+59%
130,500 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Fine Dining Cook Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Washington D.C., a male fine dining cook will earn an average of 86,800 USD, while a female fine dining cook will earn around 81,300 USD.

This means that a male fine dining cook earns approximately 7% more than a female fine dining cook for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Washington D.C.

Male-
86,800 USD
Female-7%
81,300 USD

Fine Dining Cook Average Pay Raise in Washington D.C.

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Fine Dining Cook in Washington D.C. is around 10% every 17 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 10 ÷ 17 ) × 12  = 7%

What this means is that a Fine Dining Cook in Washington D.C. can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 7% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Washington D.C. for 2025

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking-
4%
Energy-
8%
Information Technology-
3%
Healthcare-
7%
Travel-
2%
Construction-
6%
Education-
1%

Fine Dining Cook Bonus and Incentive Rates in Washington D.C.

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Fine Dining Cook is a moderate bonus based job, with 55% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

45% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6%.

Received Bonus-
55%
No Bonus-
45%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector-
98,800 USD
Private Sector-6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Fine Dining Cook

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Fine Dining Cook in Washington D.C..

Job TitleCategorySalary
All RounderFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering38,000 USD
Assistant Executive HousekeeperFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering29,600 USD
Assistant Food and Beverage ControllerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering57,400 USD
Assistant Food and Beverage DirectorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering118,900 USD
Assistant Hospitality ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering130,400 USD
Assistant StorekeeperFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering23,700 USD
Assistant Tour ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering63,900 USD
Baker and PastrycookFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering35,100 USD
Bakery ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering72,800 USD
Bakery SuperintendentFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering46,700 USD
Banquet CaptainFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering39,400 USD
Banquet ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering49,100 USD
Banquet ServerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering31,700 USD
Bar AttendantFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering32,900 USD
Bar ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering67,500 USD
Bar SupervisorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering44,800 USD
BaristaFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering36,900 USD
BartenderFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering36,500 USD
BellmanFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering29,400 USD
Beverage ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering77,000 USD
Bistro AttendantFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering32,200 USD
Buffet ChefFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering57,900 USD
Buffet HostFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering32,200 USD
Buffet ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering71,400 USD
Butcher and SlaughtererFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering23,700 USD
Cafeteria AssistantFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering32,200 USD
Cafeteria ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering60,900 USD
Cafeteria SupervisorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering45,200 USD
Cake DecoratorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering38,100 USD
Casino Shift ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering111,700 USD
Chain Store Customer SupportFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering49,400 USD
ChefFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering56,400 USD
Chef De CuisineFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering84,300 USD
Club ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering111,700 USD
Cluster DirectorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering146,900 USD
Cluster Revenue ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering109,000 USD
Cocktail ServerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering30,100 USD
Coffee Shop ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering107,700 USD
ConciergeFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering29,300 USD
Confectionery BakerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering37,300 USD
Conference Services ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering71,100 USD
Conference and Sales CoordinatorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering54,100 USD
CookFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering52,000 USD
Corporate Sous ChefFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering87,900 USD
Corporate Travel ConsultantFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering87,800 USD
CroupierFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering41,000 USD
Culinary AssistantFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering26,400 USD
Culinary AssociateFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering25,800 USD
Demi ChefFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering56,900 USD
Dietary AideFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering58,400 USD
Dining Room SupervisorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering52,800 USD
DishwasherFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering23,600 USD
Duty ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering75,500 USD
Events CoordinatorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering46,700 USD
Executive ChefFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering68,500 USD
Executive Pastry ChefFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering55,100 USD
Fast Food CookFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering51,300 USD
Fast Food Shift SupervisorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering52,300 USD
Fine Dining Restaurant ChefFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering88,700 USD
Fleet ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering151,800 USD
Food ConsultantFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering94,500 USD
Food Safety CoordinatorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering70,600 USD
Food ServerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering31,300 USD
Food Service DirectorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering116,400 USD
Food Service ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering118,900 USD
Food Service SalesFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering74,300 USD
Food Service WorkerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering30,700 USD
Food and Beverage ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering112,700 USD
Front Desk AgentFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering35,300 USD
Front Desk ClerkFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering34,000 USD
Front Office ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering64,400 USD
Guest Service ExecutiveFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering99,700 USD
Guest Service RepresentativeFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering40,500 USD
Head Chef Food / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering69,400 USD
Head ConciergeFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering48,600 USD
Hospitality DirectorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering175,200 USD
Hostess / HostFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering35,300 USD
Hotel Desk ClerkFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering34,000 USD
Hotel MaidFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering27,300 USD
Hotel ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering172,300 USD
Hotel Sales ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering134,700 USD
Hotel Service SupervisorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering101,400 USD
Hotel StaffFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering32,600 USD
Inventory CoordinatorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering36,800 USD
Kitchen ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering57,800 USD
Kitchen StaffFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering32,200 USD
Kitchen SupervisorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering51,100 USD
Line CookFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering58,200 USD
Luggage PorterFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering24,200 USD
Motel ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering98,700 USD
Pastry ChefFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering50,500 USD
Pastrycooking and Baking AssistantFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering33,000 USD
Production OperatorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering48,500 USD
Quality, Health and Safety CoordinatorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering57,100 USD
ReceptionistFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering35,300 USD
Regional Restaurant ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering132,000 USD
Restaurant ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering114,300 USD
Restaurant ServerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering30,800 USD
Room Reservations ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering117,100 USD
Room Service ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering105,800 USD
Sous ChefFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering68,800 USD
Special Events CoordinatorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering67,900 USD
Supervisor of Food ServicesFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering78,500 USD
Tour ConsultantFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering87,400 USD
Tour GuideFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering54,900 USD
Tour ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering77,000 USD
Travel AgentFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering59,900 USD
Travel ConsultantFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering89,800 USD
Waiter / WaitressFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering30,600 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

CityAverage Salary
Atlanta80,800 USD
Austin94,100 USD
Baltimore85,700 USD
Boston89,300 USD
Bristol73,100 USD
Chicago105,200 USD
Cincinnati73,500 USD
Cleveland77,000 USD
Dallas95,300 USD
Denver88,600 USD
Detroit86,100 USD
Honolulu70,700 USD
Houston99,900 USD
Indianapolis92,200 USD
Iowa City73,100 USD
Jacksonville94,200 USD
Kansas City85,100 USD
Kent76,000 USD
Las Vegas83,000 USD
Long Beach81,000 USD
Los Angeles105,200 USD
Memphis88,400 USD
Miami81,300 USD
Minneapolis81,300 USD
New Orleans75,500 USD
New York99,700 USD
Oakland80,200 USD
Oklahoma City81,700 USD
Orlando74,500 USD
Philadelphia100,400 USD
Phoenix97,400 USD
Sacramento84,500 USD
San Antonio94,300 USD
San Diego98,000 USD
San Francisco94,800 USD
San Jose98,100 USD
Seattle87,900 USD
Tampa74,900 USD
Vancouver70,900 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

StateAverage Salary
Alabama93,300 USD
Alaska80,300 USD
Arizona97,600 USD
Arkansas87,900 USD
California100,700 USD
Colorado90,600 USD
Connecticut89,800 USD
Delaware81,600 USD
District of Columbia79,000 USD
Florida100,300 USD
Georgia97,400 USD
Hawaii83,800 USD
Idaho83,300 USD
Illinois96,400 USD
Indiana92,100 USD
Iowa85,400 USD
Kansas86,400 USD
Kentucky86,100 USD
Louisiana86,100 USD
Maine79,000 USD
Maryland91,000 USD
Massachusetts88,300 USD
Michigan93,800 USD
Minnesota88,600 USD
Mississippi83,700 USD
Missouri85,800 USD
Montana76,900 USD
Nebraska79,600 USD
Nevada81,300 USD
New Hampshire76,900 USD
New Jersey88,300 USD
New Mexico81,200 USD
New York92,100 USD
North Carolina88,300 USD
North Dakota79,600 USD
Ohio100,100 USD
Oklahoma91,700 USD
Oregon91,000 USD
Pennsylvania98,900 USD
Rhode Island81,000 USD
South Carolina92,000 USD
South Dakota81,000 USD
Tennessee92,200 USD
Texas97,900 USD
Utah85,100 USD
Vermont79,600 USD
Virginia95,300 USD
Washington91,700 USD
West Virginia83,800 USD
Wisconsin90,900 USD
Wyoming74,700 USD

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