State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Cook, Fast Food Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Cooks, Fast Food earn a median of $30,890 per year ($14.85/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to fall 13.5% through 2034, with about 82,100 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: No formal educational credential.
SOC 35-2011Food Preparation and Serving RelatedLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $30,890
- Projected growth
- -13.5%
- Openings a year
- 82,100
- Typical education
- No formal credential
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Cook, Deep Fat Fryer Operator, Fast Food Cook, Fry Cook, Fryer, Grill Cook.
How much do Cooks, Fast Food make?
10th percentile$22,580
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$27,260
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$30,890
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$37,260
Upper quartile
90th percentile$42,910
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $30,890 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $14.85/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $32,390 |
| People employed | 641,070 |
Versus all US occupations
At $30,890, Cooks, Fast Food earn 39% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $20,090 a year.
Versus food preparation and serving related occupations
Inside the Food Preparation and Serving Related group, where the middle occupation pays $35,275, this is 12% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $42,910 or more while the bottom 10% earn $22,580, a gap of 1.9×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 0% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Hawaii pays the most at $48,120, and still leads at $43,765 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Cooks, Fast Food the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $48,120 | $43,765 | N/A |
| District of Columbia | $44,670 | $40,646 | 2,760 |
| California | $42,050 | $37,979 | 124,440 |
| Washington | $39,120 | $36,556 | 9,020 |
| New Hampshire | $38,590 | $37,047 | 1,330 |
| Vermont | $38,230 | $39,027 | 640 |
| Oregon | $37,880 | $36,648 | 4,300 |
| Massachusetts | $37,870 | $35,809 | N/A |
| Colorado | $36,900 | $35,807 | 9,220 |
| Maine | $36,350 | $37,455 | 1,470 |
Is Cook, Fast Food a growing career?
Cooks, Fast Food-13.5%
All US occupations3.1%
-13.5% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Declining
BLS projects employment of Cooks, Fast Food to change -13.5% over 2024–2034, while total US employment is projected to rise 3.1%. That is 90,300 fewer jobs.
Annual openings
About 82,100 openings are projected each year, 12.3% of the 669,500 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of cooks is projected to grow 5 percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Projected employment of cooks varies by occupation (see table).
Population and income growth are expected to result in greater consumer demand for food at a variety of dining places. People will continue to eat out, buy takeout meals, or have food delivered. New restaurants, cafeterias, and catering services are expected to open, requiring more cooks to prepare meals for this increased consumer demand.
How to become a Cook, Fast Food
Most cooks learn their skills through on-the-job training and work-related experience. Although no formal education is typically required, some cooks attend culinary schools. Others attend vocational or apprenticeship programs.
| Typical entry-level education | No formal educational credential |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Little or no preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Short-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as cooks, fast food.
- High School Diploma58.0%
- Less than a High School Diploma42.0%
What does a Cook, Fast Food do?
Prepare and cook food in a fast food restaurant with a limited menu. Duties of these cooks are limited to preparation of a few basic items and normally involve operating large-volume single-purpose cooking equipment.
Cooks season and prepare foods, including soups, salads, entrees, and desserts.
Day-to-day tasks
- Operate large-volume cooking equipment, such as grills, deep-fat fryers, or griddles.
- Clean food preparation areas, cooking surfaces, and utensils.
- Maintain sanitation, health, and safety standards in work areas.
- Cook the exact number of items ordered by each customer, working on several different orders simultaneously.
- Clean, stock, and restock workstations and display cases.
- Verify that prepared food meets requirements for quality and quantity.
- Pre-cook items, such as bacon, to prepare them for later use.
- Read food order slips or receive verbal instructions as to food required by patron, and prepare and cook food according to instructions.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Core skills
- Active Listening3.0/5
- Speaking2.8/5
- Reading Comprehension2.6/5
- Critical Thinking2.6/5
- Monitoring2.6/5
- Active Learning2.4/5
- Writing2.0/5
- Mathematics2.0/5
Transferable skills
- Service Orientation3.0/5
- Social Perceptiveness2.8/5
- Coordination2.8/5
- Time Management2.5/5
- Judgment and Decision Making2.4/5
- Persuasion2.3/5
- Negotiation2.1/5
- Instructing2.1/5
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Point of sale POS software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Cook, Fast Food?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary6.3
Investigative1.4
Artistic1.9
Social2.4
Enterprisingprimary3.4
Conventionalprimary4.3
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Cook, Fast Food: frequently asked questions
How much do Cooks, Fast Food make?
Cooks, Fast Food earn a median of $30,890 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 39% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $14.85/hr. The middle half earn between $27,260 and $37,260. The top 10% earn $42,910 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Cook, Fast Food?
No. BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry requirement for Cooks, Fast Food, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as little or no preparation. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 58.0% hold high school diploma.
Is Cook, Fast Food a growing career?
No. BLS projects employment to fall 13.5% over 2024–2034, a loss of 90,300 jobs (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 82,100 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Cook, Fast Food do?
Cooks season and prepare foods, including soups, salads, entrees, and desserts. A core O*NET task: operate large-volume cooking equipment, such as grills, deep-fat fryers, or griddles. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Spreadsheet software, Word processing software.
Which states pay Cooks, Fast Food the most?
The highest state medians for Cooks, Fast Food are Hawaii ($48,120), District of Columbia ($44,670), California ($42,050) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Cook, Fast Food?
O*NET scores Cooks, Fast Food highest on the Realistic, Conventional and Enterprising interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISTJ, ESTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.