Average Cooks, Fast Food Salary in the United States
The national median salary for Cooks, Fast Food is $30,890 per year. The middle 50% earn between $27,260 and $37,260, with 641,070 workers employed nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates . Data covers 51 states and 308 metro areas.
Pay distribution
Here is how Cooks, Fast Food pay is distributed across workers nationally. The 10th percentile typically reflects entry-level or early-career pay, the median is the midpoint, and the 90th percentile represents the top earners in the field.
- 10th
- $22,580
- 25th
- $27,260
- Median
- $30,890
- 75th
- $37,260
- 90th
- $42,910
All values are percentiles of annual wages.
This is a lower-wage occupation relative to the US labor market. Pay is below the national median for all workers.
The spread between entry-level and top-end pay is typical for US occupations. Experience and specialization matter, but the range is not unusually wide.
Job outlook
BLS projects employment for cooks, fast food from 2024 to 2034. This occupation is projected to shrink. Workers may face more competition for fewer openings, and the role may see automation or consolidation pressure.
- Projected growth
- -13.5%
- -90,300 net jobs over the projection period.
- Annual openings
- 82,100
- Includes growth plus replacements for workers who leave. Annual openings reflect typical replacement demand alongside any growth.
- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
There are no formal educational requirements for entry. Much of the training happens through experience on the job.
Where Cooks, Fast Food earn the most
Location matters a lot. The gap between top-paying and bottom-paying states is large, so where cooks, fast food work can reshape their total compensation. Right now, the top-paying state is Hawaii at $48,120, about 55.8% above the national median. At the metro level, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA leads with a median of $47,220.
Top-paying states
| State | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $48,120 | N/A |
| District of Columbia | $44,670 | 2,760 |
| California | $42,050 | 124,440 |
| Washington | $39,120 | 9,020 |
| New Hampshire | $38,590 | 1,330 |
| Vermont | $38,230 | 640 |
| Oregon | $37,880 | 4,300 |
| Massachusetts | $37,870 | N/A |
Top-paying metros
| Metro area | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $47,220 | 4,790 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $46,670 | 10,160 |
| Napa, CA | $45,300 | 370 |
| Vallejo, CA | $44,450 | 1,150 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $44,030 | 5,190 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $43,840 | 1,050 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $43,630 | 710 |
| Salinas, CA | $43,120 | 1,100 |
Compare two locations side by side
Pick two states or metros to see cooks, fast food pay in each, along with a cost-of-living adjusted view.
Salary trend and related occupations
Between 2019 and 2025, the national median salary for Cooks, Fast Food rose from $23,510 to $30,890, a gain of +31.4% in nominal dollars.
Over the same period, US consumer prices rose by +25.9%. Just to keep pace with inflation, the 2019 median of $23,510 would need to be worth $29,606 in 2025 dollars.
The actual 2025 median of $30,890 is $1,284 above that inflation-adjusted benchmark, a real change of +4.3% in purchasing power.
Real wages have outpaced inflation by 4.3%, a modest but real gain in purchasing power.
- Nominal change
- +31.4%
- 2019–2025
- Cumulative inflation
- +25.9%
- US CPI, 2019–2025
- Real change
- +4.3%
- After adjusting for inflation
Median salary over time
Cooks, Fast Food median pay by year, going back through the available BLS releases.
- 2025
- $30,890
- 2024
- $30,160
- 2023
- $29,260
- 2022
- $27,640
- 2021
- $24,180
- 2020
- $24,380
- 2019
- $23,510
BLS did not publish a median for 2000–2018, so those years are omitted.
Related occupations
Other occupations in the same field, with median pay for comparison.
- Food Preparation Workers
- $35,320
- Cooks, Short Order
- $35,880
- Cooks, Restaurant
- $37,390
- Cooks, Institution And Cafeteria
- $37,450
- Cooks, All Other
- $37,690
- Cooks, Private Household
- $47,940
- Fast Food And Counter Workers
- $31,200
Common salary questions for Cooks, Fast Food
What does the median salary mean? +
The median is the midpoint of all wages. Half of Cooks, Fast Food workers earn more and half earn less. It is a better measure of typical pay than the average, which can be skewed by very high or very low earners.
Why does pay vary so much by location? +
Local labor markets, cost of living, industry concentration, and employer competition all affect wages. High-cost metros like San Francisco and New York often pay more in nominal terms, though some of that premium is offset by higher living costs.
How current is this salary data? +
This page uses the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. BLS publishes OEWS data once per year, typically in the spring for the previous May reference period.
What do the percentile ranges tell me? +
The 10th and 90th percentiles show the full pay band. The 25th to 75th percentile range, the middle 50%, is where most workers fall. A wide spread usually means experience, specialization, or location matter a lot for this occupation.