Cooks, Fast Food pay in the U.S.
$32,390avg. a year
$15.57 an hour · 641,070 employed
Cooks, Fast Food in the U.S. earn an average of $32,390 a year and a median of $30,890. Pay is highest in District of Columbia ($43,710) and lowest in Mississippi ($23,560).
$30,890Median pay
$15.57Average hourly
+33%Avg. pay since 2020
641,070Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for cooks, fast food
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
12,760 jobs
District of Columbia
$43,710
$21.02 an hour
2
Hawaii
$41,670
$20.03 an hour
3124,440 jobs
California
$41,490
$19.95 an hour
49,020 jobs
Washington
$41,420
$19.92 an hour
51,330 jobs
New Hampshire
$40,390
$19.42 an hour
6
Massachusetts
$40,080
$19.27 an hour
74,300 jobs
Oregon
$39,310
$18.90 an hour
89,220 jobs
Colorado
$38,400
$18.46 an hour
9640 jobs
Vermont
$37,110
$17.84 an hour
1011,710 jobs
New York
$36,800
$17.69 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Cooks, Fast Food pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $29k$29k–$32k$32k–$36k$36k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $46,590 | $22.40 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $46,530 | $22.37 |
| Vallejo, CA | $44,360 | $21.33 |
| Napa, CA | $43,910 | $21.11 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $43,770 | $21.04 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $43,620 | $20.97 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $42,120 | $20.25 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $42,030 | $20.21 |
Related jobs
- Cooks, Restaurant$38,730
- Food Preparation Workers$35,290
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria$38,810
- Cooks, Short Order$36,120
- Cooks, All Other$39,150
- Cooks, Private Household$53,680
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Cooks, Fast Food pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $27,570 | $27,870 | 26,740 |
| Alaska | $34,320 | $33,960 | 2,250 |
| Arizona | $33,330 | $32,660 | 11,210 |
| Arkansas | $27,770 | $27,710 | 7,860 |
| California | $41,490 | $42,050 | 124,440 |
| Colorado | $38,400 | $36,900 | 9,220 |
| Connecticut | $36,360 | $34,980 | 3,630 |
| Delaware | $35,780 | $31,840 | 850 |
| District of Columbia | $43,710 | $44,670 | 2,760 |
| Florida | $32,230 | $29,900 | 22,600 |
| Georgia | $27,560 | $26,940 | 12,940 |
| Hawaii | $41,670 | $48,120 | – |
| Idaho | $29,060 | $31,070 | 1,610 |
| Illinois | $35,340 | $34,960 | 13,430 |
| Indiana | $30,720 | $29,870 | 6,830 |
| Iowa | $27,600 | $28,510 | 8,290 |
| Kansas | $29,460 | $28,640 | 1,610 |
| Kentucky | $25,300 | $23,500 | 21,750 |
| Louisiana | $25,130 | $24,960 | 3,000 |
| Maine | $36,740 | $36,350 | 1,470 |
| Maryland | $34,260 | $33,320 | 10,960 |
| Massachusetts | $40,080 | $37,870 | – |
| Michigan | $30,400 | $29,460 | 14,340 |
| Minnesota | $34,010 | $34,120 | 5,190 |
| Mississippi | $23,560 | $22,670 | 11,170 |
| Missouri | $30,990 | $29,890 | 55,780 |
| Montana | $30,260 | $26,770 | 820 |
| Nebraska | $31,910 | $30,430 | 2,900 |
| Nevada | $34,060 | $33,840 | 5,890 |
| New Hampshire | $40,390 | $38,590 | 1,330 |
| New Jersey | $35,240 | $32,220 | 3,440 |
| New Mexico | $32,010 | $30,190 | 1,800 |
| New York | $36,800 | $35,770 | 11,710 |
| North Carolina | $27,080 | $27,190 | 81,980 |
| North Dakota | $31,850 | $30,220 | 580 |
| Ohio | $27,860 | $26,870 | 12,310 |
| Oklahoma | $28,200 | $27,720 | 8,860 |
| Oregon | $39,310 | $37,880 | 4,300 |
| Pennsylvania | $30,580 | $28,810 | 9,240 |
| Rhode Island | $33,960 | $35,230 | 1,210 |
| South Carolina | $28,080 | $27,420 | 9,110 |
| South Dakota | $31,230 | $30,950 | 1,720 |
| Tennessee | $29,480 | $28,330 | 14,020 |
| Texas | $29,680 | $28,280 | 36,240 |
| Utah | $34,230 | $31,800 | 4,400 |
| Vermont | $37,110 | $38,230 | 640 |
| Virginia | $31,980 | $29,950 | 12,520 |
| Washington | $41,420 | $39,120 | 9,020 |
| West Virginia | $24,720 | $23,120 | 16,490 |
| Wisconsin | $29,310 | $28,920 | 6,900 |
| Wyoming | $30,030 | $28,950 | 890 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$40,210
48,440 jobsSt. Louis, MO-IL$32,470
17,700 jobsRiverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$41,430
16,910 jobsCharlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC$28,720
15,830 jobsKansas City, MO-KS$31,230
13,850 jobsRaleigh-Cary, NC$28,070
11,500 jobsSan Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$41,710
10,630 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$37,450
10,580 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do cooks, fast food make?
The average is $32,390 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $30,890 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $15.57, and the median is $14.85 an hour.
Which state pays cooks, fast food the most?
District of Columbia, with an average of $43,710 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA at $46,590.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $22,580 a year, and the top 10% earn over $42,910.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 35-2011. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.