How much do cooks, restaurant make in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL?

What the Cooks, Restaurant median says in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL

The May 2025 BLS OEWS estimate puts the Cooks, Restaurant median in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL at $37,240 per year. Median means the middle of the published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. It is not a job offer. The row is tied to SOC 35-2014 and BLS area 15980.

BLS lists 4,330 wage and salary jobs for this exact role-place row. That is a survey estimate. It is not a count of open posts. The local mean is $39,070 per year. Mean uses all wage values behind the estimate, so high or low values can move it away from the median.

Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL's Cooks, Restaurant median is 0.4% below the U.S. Cooks, Restaurant median of $37,390 on the same published median. Both values use the same job code and source date. They do not account for prices, taxes, benefits, hours, or your work history.

Read source key 35-2014 with area 15980

This page exists because the BLS artifact has one row for SOC 35-2014 and area 15980. SOC 35-2014 names Cooks, Restaurant. Area 15980 names Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. Both keys must match before WageScope can show or index this answer.

The 35-2014/15980 row has 4,330 wage and salary jobs. There are 14.21 for each 1,000 local jobs. The location quotient is 1.57. Each value stays under the same job and area codes.

For 35-2014/15980, the annual median is $37,240 per year, while the matching mean is $39,070 per year. The row is published with annual and hourly fields. WageScope does not switch units to fill a blank.

• 35-2014/15980 10th percentile: $30,800 per year.
• 35-2014/15980 25th percentile: $36,130 per year.
• 35-2014/15980 median: $37,240 per year.
• 35-2014/15980 75th percentile: $44,140 per year.
• 35-2014/15980 90th percentile: $46,760 per year.
• 35-2014/15980 employment RSE: 6.5%. Mean-wage RSE: 1.6%.
• 35-2014/15980 has no suppression mark in the fields shown on this page.

BLS area 15980 facts behind this Cooks, Restaurant page

Area 15980 reports 304,790 wage and salary jobs across all covered occupations. Its annual mean is $60,050. Its annual median is $46,780. The employment RSE is 0%. The mean-wage RSE is 0.6%. These are facts for the whole area. They do not replace the 35-2014 row.

The all-jobs wage ladder in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL runs from $30,070 at the 10th percentile to $101,180 at the 90th percentile. The 25th percentile is $36,300. The median is $46,780. The 75th percentile is $66,700. This is a place check, not a pay range for Cooks, Restaurant.

The source rows below are the six largest detailed roles in the bounded area file. Each keeps its own SOC code. They help a reader spot-check area 15980. They do not show related skills or a path into Cooks, Restaurant.

• 1. Retail Salespersons. Area: 15980. SOC: 41-2031. Jobs: 12,220. Yearly median: $34,650. Jobs per 1,000: 40.1. Location quotient: 1.6.
• 2. Registered Nurses. Area: 15980. SOC: 29-1141. Jobs: 8,700. Yearly median: $82,860. Jobs per 1,000: 28.54. Location quotient: 1.31.
• 3. Waiters and Waitresses. Area: 15980. SOC: 35-3031. Jobs: 7,980. Yearly median: $36,660. Jobs per 1,000: 26.19. Location quotient: 1.79.
• 4. Fast Food and Counter Workers. Area: 15980. SOC: 35-3023. Jobs: 7,260. Yearly median: $29,360. Jobs per 1,000: 23.83. Location quotient: 0.96.
• 5. General and Operations Managers. Area: 15980. SOC: 11-1021. Jobs: 7,150. Yearly median: $94,730. Jobs per 1,000: 23.47. Location quotient: 1.04.
• 6. Cashiers. Area: 15980. SOC: 41-2011. Jobs: 6,950. Yearly median: $30,530. Jobs per 1,000: 22.81. Location quotient: 1.15.

Read the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL wage ladder for Cooks, Restaurant

The 10th percentile is $30,800 per year. The 25th percentile is $36,130 per year. The median is $37,240 per year. The 75th percentile is $44,140 per year. The 90th percentile is $46,760 per year.

A percentile is a rank point, not a career stage. The 10th percentile does not mean new-worker pay. The 90th percentile does not mean a wage that comes after a set number of years. The points show how the wage values spread in the source. They do not say why one job sits at one point.

The middle half runs from $36,130 per year to $44,140 per year. The 10th-to-90th span is $15,960. Use the full ladder when a job post sits far from the median.

Compare Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL with its state and the U.S.

Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL has a annual median of $37,240 per year. Florida has $37,020 per year. The U.S. row has $37,390 per year. WageScope keeps annual and hourly values apart.

Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL is 0.6% above Florida on the same published median. Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL is 0.4% below the United States on the same published median. A gap can reflect many things that are not in this row. WageScope reports the gap but does not name a cause.

The state and U.S. rows are benchmarks, not replacements. They do not fill missing local facts. A state can hold many local labor markets. A national row can hold many states. Read the local row first, then use the broader rows to see scale.

Where Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL sits for Cooks, Restaurant

Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL ranks 115 of 391 among metro areas with a published annual median for Cooks, Restaurant. The list keeps one SOC code, one map type, one wage metric, and one BLS release. It skips rows without the matching median.

Rank 115 of 391 is not a place score. A small wage gap can move a row several spots. The rank does not add local prices, job count, concentration, commute, taxes, or work rules. Use it only to find where the published median falls inside this like-for-like set.

The nearby rows below are the closest ranks, not chosen cities. Their pay, job counts, and local shares can differ. Open a peer page before making a deeper comparison. A title and one number are not enough for a move or pay choice.

• 112. Lincoln, NE. The Cooks, Restaurant median is $37,290 per year. BLS estimates 890 jobs. The location quotient is 0.54.
• 113. Traverse City, MI. The Cooks, Restaurant median is $37,270 per year. BLS estimates 1,060 jobs. The location quotient is 1.7.
• 114. Santa Fe, NM. The Cooks, Restaurant median is $37,250 per year. BLS estimates 1,100 jobs. The location quotient is 1.96.
• 116. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA. The Cooks, Restaurant median is $37,230 per year. BLS estimates 29,040 jobs. The location quotient is 1.11.
• 117. Boise City, ID. The Cooks, Restaurant median is $37,230 per year. BLS estimates 3,700 jobs. The location quotient is 1.04.
• 118. Mankato, MN. The Cooks, Restaurant median is $37,190 per year. BLS estimates 510 jobs. The location quotient is 1.

Where Cooks, Restaurant medians lead among metro areas

The rows below use the same SOC 35-2014, the same annual median, the same May 2025 BLS release, and the same metro map type. Kahului-Wailuku, HI has the highest published median in this set, at $49,560 per year. Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL sits at $37,240 per year.

A pay lead is one fact. It does not show the size of the job base. It does not show how common Cooks, Restaurant is in the local mix. It also does not add local prices. The bullets keep the median, job count, and location quotient together so a high wage is not read as a full market score.

Use this list to choose a deeper pair, not to choose a place. Open the two local pages. Check the full wage ladder, the job scale, the survey limits, and the exact BEA price row when present. A missing median stays out of this rank instead of becoming zero.

• 1. Kahului-Wailuku, HI has a Cooks, Restaurant median of $49,560 per year, or $12,320 above Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. BLS lists 1,770 jobs there, compared with 4,330 in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. The location quotient is 2.65.
• 2. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA has a Cooks, Restaurant median of $47,730 per year, or $10,490 above Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. BLS lists 20,850 jobs there, compared with 4,330 in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. The location quotient is 1.1.
• 3. Napa, CA has a Cooks, Restaurant median of $47,320 per year, or $10,080 above Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. BLS lists 1,270 jobs there, compared with 4,330 in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. The location quotient is 1.8.
• 4. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA has a Cooks, Restaurant median of $47,170 per year, or $9,930 above Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. BLS lists 8,900 jobs there, compared with 4,330 in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. The location quotient is 0.86.
• 5. Barnstable Town, MA has a Cooks, Restaurant median of $46,930 per year, or $9,690 above Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. BLS lists 1,760 jobs there, compared with 4,330 in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. The location quotient is 2.07.
• 6. Portland-South Portland, ME has a Cooks, Restaurant median of $46,560 per year, or $9,320 above Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. BLS lists 2,730 jobs there, compared with 4,330 in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. The location quotient is 1.04.
• 7. Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA has a Cooks, Restaurant median of $46,460 per year, or $9,220 above Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. BLS lists 1,090 jobs there, compared with 4,330 in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. The location quotient is 1.28.
• 8. Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA has a Cooks, Restaurant median of $46,450 per year, or $9,210 above Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. BLS lists 590 jobs there, compared with 4,330 in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. The location quotient is 1.23.

Where BLS counts the most Cooks, Restaurant jobs

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ has the largest published metro job estimate for Cooks, Restaurant in this same-source set, at 69,250 jobs. Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL has 4,330. The count shows covered job scale, not open posts.

A large job base can have a lower median than a smaller one. It can also have a location quotient near or below 1. That is why WageScope does not blend job count, pay, and local share. Each field keeps its name and unit. The rows below let you compare all three without making one score.

Current MeritLog listings can add a dated view of employer-title matches. They do not change this May 2025 order. A place with few current cards can still have a large BLS job estimate. A place with several cards can still have a smaller estimate. The sources use different clocks and scopes.

• 1. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ has 69,250 estimated Cooks, Restaurant jobs, a gap of 64,920 jobs from Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. Its median is $43,740 per year, or $6,500 above Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. Its location quotient is 0.8.
• 2. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA has 54,320 estimated Cooks, Restaurant jobs, a gap of 49,990 jobs from Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. Its median is $44,460 per year, or $7,220 above Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. Its location quotient is 0.96.
• 3. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN has 41,690 estimated Cooks, Restaurant jobs, a gap of 37,360 jobs from Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. Its median is $38,930 per year, or $1,690 above Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. Its location quotient is 1.02.
• 4. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL has 37,210 estimated Cooks, Restaurant jobs, a gap of 32,880 jobs from Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. Its median is $36,920 per year, or $320 below Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. Its location quotient is 1.46.
• 5. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX has 34,430 estimated Cooks, Restaurant jobs, a gap of 30,100 jobs from Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. Its median is $36,490 per year, or $750 below Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. Its location quotient is 0.94.
• 6. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX has 32,710 estimated Cooks, Restaurant jobs, a gap of 28,380 jobs from Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. Its median is $35,050 per year, or $2,190 below Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. Its location quotient is 1.1.
• 7. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV has 29,670 estimated Cooks, Restaurant jobs, a gap of 25,340 jobs from Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. Its median is $42,920 per year, or $5,680 above Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. Its location quotient is 1.04.
• 8. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA has 29,040 estimated Cooks, Restaurant jobs, a gap of 24,710 jobs from Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. Its median is $37,230 per year, or $10 below Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. Its location quotient is 1.11.

Where Cooks, Restaurant takes the largest share of local jobs

Kahului-Wailuku, HI has the highest published location quotient in this metro set, at 2.65. Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL has 1.57. A value above 1 means the role's local job share is larger than its national share.

A high quotient can come from a small local job base. It does not prove more jobs, more posts, faster growth, or higher pay. The bullets keep each quotient beside its BLS job count and median. This lets a reader see when the three measures point in different ways.

Use this list to ask where Cooks, Restaurant is a large part of the local mix. Use the employment list to ask where BLS counts the most jobs. Use the pay list to ask where the median is highest. None of those lists decides where a person should work.

• 1. Kahului-Wailuku, HI has a location quotient of 2.65, a gap of 1.08 from Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. BLS lists 1,770 Cooks, Restaurant jobs and a median of $49,560 per year, or $12,320 above Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL.
• 2. Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC has a location quotient of 2.58, a gap of 1.01 from Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. BLS lists 3,420 Cooks, Restaurant jobs and a median of $35,190 per year, or $2,050 below Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL.
• 3. Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC has a location quotient of 2.33, a gap of 0.76 from Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. BLS lists 1,730 Cooks, Restaurant jobs and a median of $36,820 per year, or $420 below Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL.
• 4. Naples-Marco Island, FL has a location quotient of 2.32, a gap of 0.75 from Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. BLS lists 3,650 Cooks, Restaurant jobs and a median of $41,220 per year, or $3,980 above Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL.
• 5. Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ has a location quotient of 2.21, a gap of 0.64 from Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. BLS lists 3,370 Cooks, Restaurant jobs and a median of $40,250 per year, or $3,010 above Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL.
• 6. Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV has a location quotient of 2.19, a gap of 0.62 from Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. BLS lists 22,530 Cooks, Restaurant jobs and a median of $38,800 per year, or $1,560 above Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL.
• 7. Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL has a location quotient of 2.11, a gap of 0.54 from Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. BLS lists 2,400 Cooks, Restaurant jobs and a median of $36,600 per year, or $640 below Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL.
• 8. Bozeman, MT has a location quotient of 2.09, a gap of 0.52 from Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. BLS lists 1,370 Cooks, Restaurant jobs and a median of $42,430 per year, or $5,190 above Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL.

How common Cooks, Restaurant is in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL

BLS lists 4,330 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. It also lists 14.21 jobs per 1,000 local jobs. Jobs per 1,000 turns the count into a rate. It helps compare places of different size. It does not show open posts or hiring speed.

The location quotient is 1.57. A value of 1 means Cooks, Restaurant has the same share of local jobs as it has across the nation. This row is higher than 1. The quotient is a share check, not a wage or a growth measure.

Read the three values as separate facts. Employment asks how many covered jobs BLS estimated. Jobs per 1,000 asks how much of the local job base the role takes. Location quotient asks how that share compares with the national share. None of them tells you how many posts are open today.

Cooks, Restaurant beside other roles in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL

The all-occupations median in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL is $46,780 per year. The Cooks, Restaurant median is $37,240 per year. Cooks, Restaurant is 20.4% below the local all-occupations median on the same published median. This compares one role with the full covered job mix.

The nearby role medians below come from the bounded detailed-role table for Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL. They are close by wage, not by task. A small wage gap does not mean two jobs need the same skill or lead to the same career. Official titles keep their own SOC codes and source rows.

Use the list to spot the local wage mix around Cooks, Restaurant. Then open the role page you mean. A role can have a similar median and a very different job count or local share. The pay number alone cannot show fit, demand, or a path between jobs.

• 1. Nursing Assistants, SOC 31-1131, has a Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL median of $37,510 per year. BLS lists 3,520 jobs and a location quotient of 1.24.
• 2. Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers, SOC 37-3011, has a Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL median of $36,790 per year. BLS lists 5,080 jobs and a location quotient of 2.72.
• 3. Waiters and Waitresses, SOC 35-3031, has a Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL median of $36,660 per year. BLS lists 7,980 jobs and a location quotient of 1.79.
• 4. Customer Service Representatives, SOC 43-4051, has a Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL median of $38,180 per year. BLS lists 5,840 jobs and a location quotient of 1.15.
• 5. Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, SOC 53-7062, has a Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL median of $38,490 per year. BLS lists 4,680 jobs and a location quotient of 0.81.
• 6. Stockers and Order Fillers, SOC 53-7065, has a Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL median of $35,900 per year. BLS lists 5,010 jobs and a location quotient of 0.9.
• 7. Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners, SOC 37-2011, has a Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL median of $35,390 per year. BLS lists 3,890 jobs and a location quotient of 0.9.
• 8. Home Health and Personal Care Aides, SOC 31-1120, has a Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL median of $35,010 per year. BLS lists 3,120 jobs and a location quotient of 0.37.

The largest detailed roles in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL

Retail Salespersons is the largest detailed occupation in the bounded Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL table, at 12,220 jobs. Cooks, Restaurant has 4,330 jobs in its exact role-place row. The two counts show where this role sits beside other large parts of the local job base.

The all-occupations job count is 304,790. The detailed list below is only a bounded view of that larger mix. It does not sum to every local job. It does not include a blank role as zero. It helps explain why one role's wage and job count should not stand in for the whole area.

A large role can have a lower median. A smaller role can have a higher one. Job count does not show current posts, job quality, or growth. Use the list to see local scale. Then keep Cooks, Restaurant's own median, spread, and share in their own fields.

• 1. Retail Salespersons has 12,220 jobs in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, a gap of 7,890 from Cooks, Restaurant. Its median is $34,650 per year, or $2,590 below Cooks, Restaurant. Its location quotient is 1.6.
• 2. Registered Nurses has 8,700 jobs in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, a gap of 4,370 from Cooks, Restaurant. Its median is $82,860 per year, or $45,620 above Cooks, Restaurant. Its location quotient is 1.31.
• 3. Waiters and Waitresses has 7,980 jobs in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, a gap of 3,650 from Cooks, Restaurant. Its median is $36,660 per year, or $580 below Cooks, Restaurant. Its location quotient is 1.79.
• 4. Fast Food and Counter Workers has 7,260 jobs in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, a gap of 2,930 from Cooks, Restaurant. Its median is $29,360 per year, or $7,880 below Cooks, Restaurant. Its location quotient is 0.96.
• 5. General and Operations Managers has 7,150 jobs in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, a gap of 2,820 from Cooks, Restaurant. Its median is $94,730 per year, or $57,490 above Cooks, Restaurant. Its location quotient is 1.04.
• 6. Cashiers has 6,950 jobs in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, a gap of 2,620 from Cooks, Restaurant. Its median is $30,530 per year, or $6,710 below Cooks, Restaurant. Its location quotient is 1.15.
• 7. Office Clerks, General has 6,460 jobs in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, a gap of 2,130 from Cooks, Restaurant. Its median is $45,560 per year, or $8,320 above Cooks, Restaurant. Its location quotient is 1.34.
• 8. Customer Service Representatives has 5,840 jobs in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, a gap of 1,510 from Cooks, Restaurant. Its median is $38,180 per year, or $940 above Cooks, Restaurant. Its location quotient is 1.15.

Published role medians around Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL

Project Management Specialists has the highest published median in the bounded Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL role table, at $96,600 per year. Cooks, Restaurant has $37,240 per year. This puts the role beside a local pay range without blending the source rows.

The local all-occupations median is $46,780 per year. A role above that mark is not better. A role below it is not worse. The mark only shows where the role's published median sits against the full covered job mix. Job tasks, level, hours, and work setting are separate facts.

The bullets keep each SOC title, job count, median, and local share together. Use them to find a role page worth opening. Do not use a close median as proof that two roles share skills or that one is a path to the other.

• 1. Project Management Specialists has a median of $96,600 per year in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, or $59,360 above Cooks, Restaurant. BLS lists 2,750 jobs, compared with 4,330 for Cooks, Restaurant. Its location quotient is 1.32.
• 2. General and Operations Managers has a median of $94,730 per year in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, or $57,490 above Cooks, Restaurant. BLS lists 7,150 jobs, compared with 4,330 for Cooks, Restaurant. Its location quotient is 1.04.
• 3. Registered Nurses has a median of $82,860 per year in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, or $45,620 above Cooks, Restaurant. BLS lists 8,700 jobs, compared with 4,330 for Cooks, Restaurant. Its location quotient is 1.31.
• 4. First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers has a median of $75,480 per year in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, or $38,240 above Cooks, Restaurant. BLS lists 3,840 jobs, compared with 4,330 for Cooks, Restaurant. Its location quotient is 2.41.
• 5. First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers has a median of $62,850 per year in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, or $25,610 above Cooks, Restaurant. BLS lists 2,590 jobs, compared with 4,330 for Cooks, Restaurant. Its location quotient is 0.92.
• 6. Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products has a median of $61,120 per year in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, or $23,880 above Cooks, Restaurant. BLS lists 2,750 jobs, compared with 4,330 for Cooks, Restaurant. Its location quotient is 1.13.
• 7. Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel has a median of $57,620 per year in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, or $20,380 above Cooks, Restaurant. BLS lists 3,170 jobs, compared with 4,330 for Cooks, Restaurant. Its location quotient is 1.29.
• 8. Carpenters has a median of $49,210 per year in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, or $11,970 above Cooks, Restaurant. BLS lists 2,640 jobs, compared with 4,330 for Cooks, Restaurant. Its location quotient is 2.01.

Roles with the largest local share in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL

Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers has the highest location quotient in the bounded Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL role table, at 2.72. Cooks, Restaurant has 1.57. Both values compare a local job share with the matching national share.

A quotient above 1 means the role takes a larger share of local jobs than it does across the nation. It does not mean more jobs than every other role. It does not mean open posts, growth, or high pay. The job count and median beside each row answer those other narrow questions.

The local role-share mix can differ a lot from the pay mix. Read both lists. Then compare Cooks, Restaurant with the same SOC code in another place. This keeps a broad area pattern from replacing the exact role-place row.

• 1. Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers has a location quotient of 2.72 in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, a gap of 1.15 from Cooks, Restaurant. BLS lists 5,080 jobs and a median of $36,790 per year, or $450 below Cooks, Restaurant.
• 2. Construction Laborers has a location quotient of 2.43 in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, a gap of 0.86 from Cooks, Restaurant. BLS lists 5,230 jobs and a median of $43,290 per year, or $6,050 above Cooks, Restaurant.
• 3. First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers has a location quotient of 2.41 in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, a gap of 0.84 from Cooks, Restaurant. BLS lists 3,840 jobs and a median of $75,480 per year, or $38,240 above Cooks, Restaurant.
• 4. Carpenters has a location quotient of 2.01 in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, a gap of 0.44 from Cooks, Restaurant. BLS lists 2,640 jobs and a median of $49,210 per year, or $11,970 above Cooks, Restaurant.
• 5. Waiters and Waitresses has a location quotient of 1.79 in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, a gap of 0.22 from Cooks, Restaurant. BLS lists 7,980 jobs and a median of $36,660 per year, or $580 below Cooks, Restaurant.
• 6. Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants has a location quotient of 1.75 in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, a gap of 0.18 from Cooks, Restaurant. BLS lists 3,290 jobs and a median of $43,880 per year, or $6,640 above Cooks, Restaurant.
• 7. Retail Salespersons has a location quotient of 1.6 in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, a gap of 0.03 from Cooks, Restaurant. BLS lists 12,220 jobs and a median of $34,650 per year, or $2,590 below Cooks, Restaurant.
• 8. First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers has a location quotient of 1.34 in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, a gap of 0.23 from Cooks, Restaurant. BLS lists 2,950 jobs and a median of $48,040 per year, or $10,800 above Cooks, Restaurant.

What $37,240 may mean after the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL price level

BEA's 2024 all-items price index for Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL is 102.3. The U.S. level is 100. The local level is 2.3% above that mark. This is a broad price comparison. It is not a personal budget.

WageScope divides the $37,240 Cooks, Restaurant median by 102.3 divided by 100. The result is $36,385 in national-price dollars per year. This proxy keeps the math clear. It is not take-home pay and does not set a move target.

Housing is 125.1. Goods are 96.2. Utilities are 86.9. Other services are 98.9. The parts do not move as one. WageScope uses BEA's all-items index for the proxy and does not make its own basket.

How much care to use with the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL row

The employment RSE for this Cooks, Restaurant row is 6.5%. The mean-wage RSE is 1.6%. RSE means relative standard error. It is a survey precision flag. A smaller value often means less sampling uncertainty. It is not the chance that one person's pay is right or wrong.

The employment RSE belongs to the 4,330 job estimate. The mean-wage RSE belongs to the $39,070 mean. BLS does not give the same RSE field for the median or every percentile. WageScope does not move an RSE from one field to another.

A local row can change in a new release. A small role-place sample can also have more survey uncertainty than a broad national row. Keep the May 2025 date next to the value. Do not mix a newer job post with the BLS date as if both facts came from one clock.

Use Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL wage data before you tailor

The job block looks for strict employer-title matches to Cooks, Restaurant. It uses a Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL place filter only when the public place list has an exact approved match. If that match is not safe, the page says the jobs are not narrowed to this place. A false negative is safer than showing a different role.

Each card keeps its employer, place, source, and seen date. Listings can change between visits while the survey figures stay tied to their release date. A listing range does not replace the $37,240 BLS median. The listing and survey answer different questions.

Open one listing. Check its level, work place, pay range, and needs. Then tailor with work facts you can support. Do not turn a wage, job count, rank, or price proxy into a résumé claim. The public page is read only. It does not save a job or start a draft on load.

What the Cooks, Restaurant row for Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL does not claim

The row does not say what one person earns. It does not promise a job, offer, raise, or move result. It does not say why the local median differs from the U.S. row. It does not add tips, bonus pay, stock, benefits, taxes, or work hours unless those items are in the BLS wage measure.

The 4,330 job estimate is not a live opening count. The location quotient of 1.57 is not a growth score. Rank 115 of 391 is not a place score. The 102.3 price index is not a personal budget.

Use the row for one clear task. Read the May 2025 wage spread for SOC 35-2014 in BLS area 15980. Compare the same metric with the state and U.S. rows. Add the separate 2024 price level when present. Inspect a dated job match. Then use confirmed work facts for a résumé.