Cooks, Fast Food pay in Tennessee
$29,480avg. a year
$14.18 an hour · 14,020 employed
Cooks, Fast Food in Tennessee earn an average of $29,480 a year. That is $2,910 (9%) less than the U.S. average of $32,390. The best-paying metro area is Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN at $32,970.
$28,330Median pay
$14.18Average hourly
+39%Avg. pay since 2020
#36Of 50 states + D.C.
Top-paying Tennessee metro areas
Average pay for cooks, fast food by metro area. Swipe to see all 9.
14,840 jobs
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
$32,970
$15.85 an hour
22,120 jobs
Knoxville, TN
$28,980
$13.93 an hour
3720 jobs
Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA
$28,270
$13.59 an hour
42,270 jobs
Memphis, TN-MS-AR
$27,550
$13.24 an hour
5240 jobs
Morristown, TN
$26,870
$12.92 an hour
6940 jobs
Chattanooga, TN-GA
$26,840
$12.91 an hour
7910 jobs
Clarksville, TN-KY
$26,710
$12.84 an hour
8570 jobs
Johnson City, TN
$26,420
$12.70 an hour
9400 jobs
Jackson, TN
$26,170
$12.58 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 in Tennessee, charted
Pay over time
Tennessee, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where Tennessee cooks, fast food work
Employment by metro area, May 2025
Related jobs in Tennessee
- Cooks, Restaurant$36,530
- Food Preparation Workers$30,860
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria$35,260
- Cooks, Short Order$31,620
- Fast Food and Counter Workers$27,870
- Waiters and Waitresses$29,070
Average pay, Tennessee, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Questions and answers
How much do cooks, fast food make in Tennessee?
The average is $29,480 a year, and the median is $28,330. That is $2,910 (9%) less than the U.S. average of $32,390.
What is the hourly wage in Tennessee?
$14.18 an hour on average; the median is $13.62.
Where in Tennessee do they earn the most?
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN ($32,970), followed by Knoxville, TN ($28,980). The lowest average among 9 metro areas with data is Jackson, TN ($26,170).
How does Tennessee rank?
Tennessee ranks #36 of 51 states (including D.C.) with published data for this job, by average pay.
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. State rank compares average pay across states with published data. Metro figures cover metropolitan statistical areas; a metro area can cross state lines. See also the national cooks, fast food page. 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.