Turnover Cost: Restaurant Cooks, Iowa (2025)

Verified cost of employee turnover for the selected Restaurant Cooks population in Iowa, United States, drawn from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025-may).

Estimated cost of turnover

Restaurant Cooks · Iowa, United States

$17,900 – $71,400estimated range, 2025-may

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Estimated from a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics annual mean wage of $35,700 for Restaurant Cooks in Iowa, United States (2025-may), multiplied by the 0.5×–2× cost of replacing an employee reported by SHRM and Gallup. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the wage, not the cost — the range is a planning estimate, and a real figure depends on time-to-fill, ramp-up, and lost productivity.

How Restaurant Cooks compares in Iowa, United States

Annual mean wage — the input to the estimate above, compared directly rather than as a derived range. See all 33 industries.

  • Computer and Information Systems Managers
  • Home Health and Personal Care Aides
  • Restaurant Cooks
  • Retail Salespersons
  • Waiters and Waitresses

What this means

Restaurant cooks in Iowa earn an annual mean wage of $35,700, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Replacing one of them costs an estimated $17,900 to $71,400, derived from SHRM's replacement-cost multiple of 50% to 200% of annual salary. The actual expense depends on how long the position stays vacant, what ramp-up looks like, and what productivity loss occurs during transition.

Estimated cost of turnover: Restaurant Cooks vs regional average

Estimated cost of turnover in Iowa, United States, 2025-may. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
MeasureRestaurant CooksRegional average
Estimated cost of turnover$35,700$75,472