occupation · 35-2011 · detailed
Cooks, Fast Food — wages and employment
Cooks, Fast Food earned a median annual wage of $30,160 in the United States in May 2024, with 668,230 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Cooks, Fast Food earned a median annual wage of $30,160 in the United States in May 2024, with 668,230 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $22,370 or less, the best-paid tenth $38,980 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $29,260 to $30,160, +3.1 %. The best-paying state is Hawaii at $40,300; the lowest Puerto Rico at $21,300. Among metropolitan areas, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA pays the highest median, $41,980. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 668,230 | $30,160 | $31,140 | $22,370 | $26,540 | $35,710 | $38,980 | $14.50 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 673,490 | $29,260 | $29,760 | $21,800 | $24,960 | $34,320 | $36,510 | $14.07 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $40,300 | 830 |
| District of Columbia | $38,350 | 2,610 |
| New Hampshire | $37,220 | 2,280 |
| Massachusetts | $37,100 | 5,140 |
| Vermont | $37,050 | 1,060 |
| Oregon | $37,020 | 4,360 |
| Washington | $36,800 | 8,630 |
| California | $36,410 | 136,550 |
| Alaska | $35,820 | 2,930 |
| Maine | $35,780 | 1,970 |
| Rhode Island | $35,600 | — |
| Colorado | $35,140 | 9,560 |
| New York | $34,160 | 21,210 |
| New Jersey | $33,930 | 5,360 |
| Connecticut | $33,760 | 3,950 |
| Nevada | $32,690 | 6,610 |
| Wyoming | $32,190 | 440 |
| Maryland | $31,770 | 9,550 |
| Illinois | $31,580 | 16,320 |
| Arizona | $31,090 | 11,220 |
| Minnesota | $30,810 | 7,400 |
| South Dakota | $30,640 | 1,210 |
| Utah | $29,960 | 6,250 |
| Missouri | $29,450 | 52,590 |
| North Dakota | $29,350 | 840 |
| Michigan | $29,340 | 11,470 |
| Nebraska | $29,210 | 2,000 |
| Delaware | $28,950 | 790 |
| Florida | $28,940 | 19,510 |
| New Mexico | $28,830 | 2,600 |
| Iowa | $28,770 | 5,900 |
| Virginia | $28,660 | 17,430 |
| Indiana | $28,610 | 5,840 |
| Wisconsin | $28,400 | 9,420 |
| Kansas | $28,100 | 2,150 |
| Tennessee | $28,010 | 16,690 |
| Oklahoma | $27,500 | 9,760 |
| Pennsylvania | $27,440 | 12,420 |
| North Carolina | $26,750 | 89,140 |
| Alabama | $26,690 | 25,580 |
| Ohio | $26,520 | 12,610 |
| Georgia | $26,470 | 6,040 |
| Montana | $26,260 | 1,310 |
| Idaho | $26,130 | 2,090 |
| Arkansas | $24,700 | 5,980 |
| Texas | $24,390 | 31,120 |
| South Carolina | $23,930 | 10,120 |
| Kentucky | $23,420 | 20,250 |
| West Virginia | $22,800 | 15,590 |
| Mississippi | $22,250 | 10,520 |
| Guam | $22,100 | 600 |
| Louisiana | $21,940 | 2,120 |
| Puerto Rico | $21,300 | 3,680 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $41,980 | 10,540 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $41,800 | 4,560 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $40,580 | 2,580 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $39,260 | 1,120 |
| Napa, CA | $39,210 | 360 |
| Vallejo, CA | $39,110 | 1,250 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $38,830 | 4,380 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $38,250 | 640 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | $38,040 | 640 |
| Salinas, CA | $37,960 | 1,040 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $37,730 | 3,940 |
| Carson City, NV | $37,700 | 120 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $37,670 | 780 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $37,360 | 180 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $37,250 | 940 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | $37,020 | 210 |
| Manchester-Nashua, NH | $37,020 | 840 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $37,010 | 1,610 |
| Yuba City, CA | $36,820 | 440 |
| Redding, CA | $36,780 | 490 |
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