Cooks, Fast Food Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for cooks, fast foods across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $32,390 ≈ $16/hr

National median salary $30,890

Total employment 641,070 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth -13.5% Decline

Annual openings 82,100 per year (avg)

Employment 2024→2034 669,500 → 579,200 (-90,300)

Typical entry education No formal educational credential

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

AK ME WI VT NH WA ID MT ND MN IL MI NY MA OR NV WY SD IA IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA UT CO NE MO KY WV VA MD DE AZ NM KS AR TN NC SC DC OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL

Mean annual wage $24,000–$28,000 $28,000–$31,000 $31,000–$34,000 $34,000–$37,000 $37,000–$44,000 U.S. mean $32,390

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

Mississippi$23,560
West Virginia$24,720
Louisiana$25,130
Kentucky$25,300
North Carolina$27,080

State Rankings

⇄ Compare specific states

#	State	Mean	Median	Hourly	vs. U.S.	Employment
1	District of Columbia	$43,710	$44,670	$21	+34.9%	2,760
2	Hawaii	$41,670	$48,120	$20	+28.7%	—
3	California	$41,490	$42,050	$20	+28.1%	124,440
4	Washington	$41,420	$39,120	$20	+27.9%	9,020
5	New Hampshire	$40,390	$38,590	$19	+24.7%	1,330
6	Massachusetts	$40,080	$37,870	$19	+23.7%	—
7	Oregon	$39,310	$37,880	$19	+21.4%	4,300
8	Colorado	$38,400	$36,900	$18	+18.6%	9,220
9	Vermont	$37,110	$38,230	$18	+14.6%	640
10	New York	$36,800	$35,770	$18	+13.6%	11,710
11	Maine	$36,740	$36,350	$18	+13.4%	1,470
12	Connecticut	$36,360	$34,980	$17	+12.3%	3,630
13	Delaware	$35,780	$31,840	$17	+10.5%	850
14	Illinois	$35,340	$34,960	$17	+9.1%	13,430
15	New Jersey	$35,240	$32,220	$17	+8.8%	3,440
16	Alaska	$34,320	$33,960	$17	+6%	2,250
17	Maryland	$34,260	$33,320	$16	+5.8%	10,960
18	Utah	$34,230	$31,800	$16	+5.7%	4,400
19	Nevada	$34,060	$33,840	$16	+5.2%	5,890
20	Minnesota	$34,010	$34,120	$16	+5%	5,190
21	Rhode Island	$33,960	$35,230	$16	+4.8%	1,210
22	Arizona	$33,330	$32,660	$16	+2.9%	11,210
23	Florida	$32,230	$29,900	$16	-0.5%	22,600
24	New Mexico	$32,010	$30,190	$15	-1.2%	1,800
25	Virginia	$31,980	$29,950	$15	-1.3%	12,520
26	Nebraska	$31,910	$30,430	$15	-1.5%	2,900
27	North Dakota	$31,850	$30,220	$15	-1.7%	580
28	South Dakota	$31,230	$30,950	$15	-3.6%	1,720
29	Missouri	$30,990	$29,890	$15	-4.3%	55,780
30	Indiana	$30,720	$29,870	$15	-5.2%	6,830
31	Pennsylvania	$30,580	$28,810	$15	-5.6%	9,240
32	Michigan	$30,400	$29,460	$15	-6.1%	14,340
33	Montana	$30,260	$26,770	$15	-6.6%	820
34	Wyoming	$30,030	$28,950	$14	-7.3%	890
35	Texas	$29,680	$28,280	$14	-8.4%	36,240
36	Tennessee	$29,480	$28,330	$14	-9%	14,020
37	Kansas	$29,460	$28,640	$14	-9%	1,610
38	Wisconsin	$29,310	$28,920	$14	-9.5%	6,900
39	Idaho	$29,060	$31,070	$14	-10.3%	1,610
40	Oklahoma	$28,200	$27,720	$14	-12.9%	8,860
41	South Carolina	$28,080	$27,420	$14	-13.3%	9,110
42	Ohio	$27,860	$26,870	$13	-14%	12,310
43	Arkansas	$27,770	$27,710	$13	-14.3%	7,860
44	Iowa	$27,600	$28,510	$13	-14.8%	8,290
45	Alabama	$27,570	$27,870	$13	-14.9%	26,740
46	Georgia	$27,560	$26,940	$13	-14.9%	12,940
47	North Carolina	$27,080	$27,190	$13	-16.4%	81,980
48	Kentucky	$25,300	$23,500	$12	-21.9%	21,750
49	Louisiana	$25,130	$24,960	$12	-22.4%	3,000
50	West Virginia	$24,720	$23,120	$12	-23.7%	16,490
51	Mississippi	$23,560	$22,670	$11	-27.3%	11,170

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 412 metro areas.

#	Metro area	Median	Mean	Employment
1	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$47,220	$46,530	4,790
2	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$46,670	$46,590	10,160
3	Napa, CA	$45,300	$43,910	370
4	Vallejo, CA	$44,450	$44,360	1,150
5	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$44,030	$43,770	5,190
6	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$43,840	$43,620	1,050
7	Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	$43,630	$42,030	710
8	Salinas, CA	$43,120	$41,940	1,100
9	Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$42,700	$42,120	1,430
10	Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	$42,530	$41,330	2,520

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing cooks, fast foods (BLS OEWS, by median).

#	Industry	Median	Mean	Employment
1	Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4244 and 4248 only)	$45,110	$43,190	—
2	Educational Services, Privately Owned	$43,390	$43,610	40
3	Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	$43,390	$43,430	40
4	Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools, Privately Owned	$43,390	$43,520	30
5	Gambling Industries	$41,140	$38,960	200
6	Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	$39,780	$38,520	40
7	Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	$39,780	$38,520	40
8	Casino Hotels	$38,760	$39,620	200
9	Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods	$38,520	$37,530	280
10	Sector 42 - Wholesale Trade	$38,520	$37,510	330
11	Sector 53 - Real Estate and Rental and Leasing	$37,990	$37,500	—
12	Educational Services	$37,720	$39,360	140

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do cooks, fast food make in the U.S.?

The median cooks, fast food salary in the United States is $30,890 per year (mean $32,390), and about 80% earn between $22,580 and $42,910.

How much do cooks, fast food make per hour?

Roughly $16 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $32,390 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays cooks, fast food the most?

District of Columbia has the highest average pay for cooks, fast food at $43,710 per year (median $44,670).

What is the job outlook for cooks, fast food?

Employment is projected to change -13.5% from 2024 to 2034 (Decline), with about 82,100 openings per year.