Pay by state · 53 areas
Cook, Fast Food Salary by State (2026)
Cooks, Fast Food earn the most in Hawaii at $48,120 a year and the least in Mississippi at $22,670 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $30,890. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico and Guam, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $48,120Hawaii
- National median
- $30,890BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $22,670Mississippi
- Areas reporting
- 53of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for cooks, fast food
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1Hawaii$48,120
- 2District of Columbia$44,670
- 3California$42,050
- 4Washington$39,120
- 5New Hampshire$38,590
Lowest median pay
- 1Mississippi$22,670
- 2West Virginia$23,120
- 3Kentucky$23,500
- 4Louisiana$24,960
- 5Montana$26,770
All states
Cook, Fast Food salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of cooks, fast food OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HIHawaii | $48,120 | $29,120 | $49,260 | N/A | $43,765 |
| 2 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $44,670 | $38,800 | $48,820 | 2,760 | $40,646 |
| 3 | CACalifornia | $42,050 | $37,260 | $43,300 | 124,440 | $37,979 |
| 4 | WAWashington | $39,120 | $36,390 | $44,050 | 9,020 | $36,556 |
| 5 | NHNew Hampshire | $38,590 | $37,500 | $44,290 | 1,330 | $37,047 |
| 6 | VTVermont | $38,230 | $36,190 | $38,740 | 640 | $39,027 |
| 7 | OROregon | $37,880 | $35,010 | $40,280 | 4,300 | $36,648 |
| 8 | MAMassachusetts | $37,870 | $36,400 | $41,600 | N/A | $35,809 |
| 9 | COColorado | $36,900 | $34,790 | $38,990 | 9,220 | $35,807 |
| 10 | MEMaine | $36,350 | $33,770 | $37,910 | 1,470 | $37,455 |
| 11 | NYNew York | $35,770 | $33,340 | $38,130 | 11,710 | $33,145 |
| 12 | RIRhode Island | $35,230 | $31,200 | $35,690 | 1,210 | $34,445 |
| 13 | CTConnecticut | $34,980 | $34,010 | $36,180 | 3,630 | $33,761 |
| 14 | ILIllinois | $34,960 | $31,430 | $37,350 | 13,430 | $34,975 |
| 15 | MNMinnesota | $34,120 | $29,890 | $38,630 | 5,190 | $34,597 |
| 16 | AKAlaska | $33,960 | $31,130 | $37,170 | 2,250 | $33,177 |
| 17 | NVNevada | $33,840 | $27,740 | $38,010 | 5,890 | $33,847 |
| 18 | MDMaryland | $33,320 | $31,360 | $35,700 | 10,960 | $31,746 |
| 19 | AZArizona | $32,660 | $30,960 | $35,040 | 11,210 | $32,440 |
| 20 | NJNew Jersey | $32,220 | $32,220 | $36,930 | 3,440 | $29,613 |
| 21 | DEDelaware | $31,840 | $31,200 | $38,950 | 850 | $31,901 |
| 22 | UTUtah | $31,800 | $29,220 | $36,400 | 4,400 | $32,165 |
| 23 | IDIdaho | $31,070 | $23,790 | $33,540 | 1,610 | $32,536 |
| 24 | SDSouth Dakota | $30,950 | $29,330 | $33,000 | 1,720 | $34,938 |
| 25 | NENebraska | $30,430 | $28,830 | $34,850 | 2,900 | $33,772 |
| 26 | NDNorth Dakota | $30,220 | $29,320 | $35,080 | 580 | $33,971 |
| 27 | NMNew Mexico | $30,190 | $28,740 | $35,370 | 1,800 | $32,740 |
| 28 | VAVirginia | $29,950 | $28,330 | $34,570 | 12,520 | $29,623 |
| 29 | FLFlorida | $29,900 | $28,210 | $36,030 | 22,600 | $28,913 |
| 30 | MOMissouri | $29,890 | $28,790 | $31,080 | 55,780 | $32,912 |
| 31 | INIndiana | $29,870 | $28,440 | $35,310 | 6,830 | $32,005 |
| 32 | MIMichigan | $29,460 | $27,300 | $30,880 | 14,340 | $30,618 |
| 33 | WYWyoming | $28,950 | $21,930 | $34,320 | 890 | $31,233 |
| 34 | WIWisconsin | $28,920 | $27,730 | $32,910 | 6,900 | $30,735 |
| 35 | PAPennsylvania | $28,810 | $25,120 | $35,610 | 9,240 | $29,527 |
| 36 | KSKansas | $28,640 | $24,520 | $34,170 | 1,610 | $31,798 |
| 37 | IAIowa | $28,510 | $16,140 | $33,710 | 8,290 | $32,486 |
| 38 | TNTennessee | $28,330 | $24,550 | $34,780 | 14,020 | $30,837 |
| 39 | TXTexas | $28,280 | $23,090 | $36,450 | 36,240 | $29,138 |
| 40 | ALAlabama | $27,870 | $23,590 | $29,380 | 26,740 | $31,377 |
| 41 | OKOklahoma | $27,720 | $25,280 | $29,280 | 8,860 | $31,556 |
| 42 | ARArkansas | $27,710 | $24,600 | $29,150 | 7,860 | $31,874 |
| 43 | SCSouth Carolina | $27,420 | $22,830 | $33,540 | 9,110 | $29,248 |
| 44 | NCNorth Carolina | $27,190 | $22,740 | $29,190 | 81,980 | $28,826 |
| 45 | GAGeorgia | $26,940 | $21,880 | $32,060 | 12,940 | $27,977 |
| 46 | OHOhio | $26,870 | $23,070 | $29,710 | 12,310 | $28,963 |
| 47 | MTMontana | $26,770 | $23,920 | $33,960 | 820 | $28,285 |
| 48 | LALouisiana | $24,960 | $22,000 | $28,190 | 3,000 | $28,297 |
| 49 | KYKentucky | $23,500 | $22,030 | $27,890 | 21,750 | $26,065 |
| 50 | WVWest Virginia | $23,120 | $22,290 | $26,680 | 16,490 | $25,833 |
| 51 | MSMississippi | $22,670 | $21,350 | $26,750 | 11,170 | $26,072 |
| 52 | PRPuerto Rico | $22,640 | $21,840 | $25,900 | 3,810 | N/A |
| 53 | GUGuam | $21,690 | $21,380 | $21,910 | 650 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For cooks, fast food, the adjustment does not change the leader: Hawaii is first on raw pay and still first once prices are taken into account, at $43,765.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Cook, Fast Food pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays cooks, fast food the most?
Hawaii reports the highest median wage for cooks, fast food at $48,120 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by District of Columbia ($44,670) and California ($42,050).
Which state pays cooks, fast food the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Mississippi reports the lowest median for cooks, fast food at $22,670 a year, $25,450 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, Puerto Rico reports $22,640 and Guam reports $21,690.
Is the highest-paying state the best for cooks, fast food after cost of living?
Yes. Hawaii stays first after dividing each state median by its BEA Regional Price Parity, at $43,765 in national-average dollars from a raw $48,120. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.