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.
Cook, Fast Food Salary by State (2026)
Cooks, Fast Food earn the most in Hawaii at $48,120 a year and the least in Guam at $21,690 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $30,890. All 53 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $48,120
- National median
- $30,890
- Lowest median
- $21,690
- States reporting
- 53
Hawaii
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Guam
of 54 OEWS areas
Top 5 states for Cooks, Fast Food
- 1. Hawaii$48,120 median · $43,765 adjusted · N/A employed
- 2. District of Columbia$44,670 median · $40,646 adjusted · 2,760 employed
- 3. California$42,050 median · $37,979 adjusted · 124,440 employed
- 4. Washington$39,120 median · $36,556 adjusted · 9,020 employed
- 5. New Hampshire$38,590 median · $37,047 adjusted · 1,330 employed
Lowest-paying states for Cooks, Fast Food
- 53. Guam$21,690 median · no price parity · 650 employed
- 52. Puerto Rico$22,640 median · no price parity · 3,810 employed
- 51. Mississippi$22,670 median · $26,072 adjusted · 11,170 employed
- 50. West Virginia$23,120 median · $25,833 adjusted · 16,490 employed
- 49. Kentucky$23,500 median · $26,065 adjusted · 21,750 employed
Cook, Fast Food salary in every state
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $48,120 | $29,120 | $49,260 | N/A | $43,765 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $44,670 | $38,800 | $48,820 | 2,760 | $40,646 |
| 3 | California | $42,050 | $37,260 | $43,300 | 124,440 | $37,979 |
| 4 | Washington | $39,120 | $36,390 | $44,050 | 9,020 | $36,556 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | $38,590 | $37,500 | $44,290 | 1,330 | $37,047 |
| 6 | Vermont | $38,230 | $36,190 | $38,740 | 640 | $39,027 |
| 7 | Oregon | $37,880 | $35,010 | $40,280 | 4,300 | $36,648 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $37,870 | $36,400 | $41,600 | N/A | $35,809 |
| 9 | Colorado | $36,900 | $34,790 | $38,990 | 9,220 | $35,807 |
| 10 | Maine | $36,350 | $33,770 | $37,910 | 1,470 | $37,455 |
| 11 | New York | $35,770 | $33,340 | $38,130 | 11,710 | $33,145 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $35,230 | $31,200 | $35,690 | 1,210 | $34,445 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $34,980 | $34,010 | $36,180 | 3,630 | $33,761 |
| 14 | Illinois | $34,960 | $31,430 | $37,350 | 13,430 | $34,975 |
| 15 | Minnesota | $34,120 | $29,890 | $38,630 | 5,190 | $34,597 |
| 16 | Alaska | $33,960 | $31,130 | $37,170 | 2,250 | $33,177 |
| 17 | Nevada | $33,840 | $27,740 | $38,010 | 5,890 | $33,847 |
| 18 | Maryland | $33,320 | $31,360 | $35,700 | 10,960 | $31,746 |
| 19 | Arizona | $32,660 | $30,960 | $35,040 | 11,210 | $32,440 |
| 20 | New Jersey | $32,220 | $32,220 | $36,930 | 3,440 | $29,613 |
| 21 | Delaware | $31,840 | $31,200 | $38,950 | 850 | $31,901 |
| 22 | Utah | $31,800 | $29,220 | $36,400 | 4,400 | $32,165 |
| 23 | Idaho | $31,070 | $23,790 | $33,540 | 1,610 | $32,536 |
| 24 | South Dakota | $30,950 | $29,330 | $33,000 | 1,720 | $34,938 |
| 25 | Nebraska | $30,430 | $28,830 | $34,850 | 2,900 | $33,772 |
| 26 | North Dakota | $30,220 | $29,320 | $35,080 | 580 | $33,971 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $30,190 | $28,740 | $35,370 | 1,800 | $32,740 |
| 28 | Virginia | $29,950 | $28,330 | $34,570 | 12,520 | $29,623 |
| 29 | Florida | $29,900 | $28,210 | $36,030 | 22,600 | $28,913 |
| 30 | Missouri | $29,890 | $28,790 | $31,080 | 55,780 | $32,912 |
| 31 | Indiana | $29,870 | $28,440 | $35,310 | 6,830 | $32,005 |
| 32 | Michigan | $29,460 | $27,300 | $30,880 | 14,340 | $30,618 |
| 33 | Wyoming | $28,950 | $21,930 | $34,320 | 890 | $31,233 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $28,920 | $27,730 | $32,910 | 6,900 | $30,735 |
| 35 | Pennsylvania | $28,810 | $25,120 | $35,610 | 9,240 | $29,527 |
| 36 | Kansas | $28,640 | $24,520 | $34,170 | 1,610 | $31,798 |
| 37 | Iowa | $28,510 | $16,140 | $33,710 | 8,290 | $32,486 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $28,330 | $24,550 | $34,780 | 14,020 | $30,837 |
| 39 | Texas | $28,280 | $23,090 | $36,450 | 36,240 | $29,138 |
| 40 | Alabama | $27,870 | $23,590 | $29,380 | 26,740 | $31,377 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $27,720 | $25,280 | $29,280 | 8,860 | $31,556 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $27,710 | $24,600 | $29,150 | 7,860 | $31,874 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $27,420 | $22,830 | $33,540 | 9,110 | $29,248 |
| 44 | North Carolina | $27,190 | $22,740 | $29,190 | 81,980 | $28,826 |
| 45 | Georgia | $26,940 | $21,880 | $32,060 | 12,940 | $27,977 |
| 46 | Ohio | $26,870 | $23,070 | $29,710 | 12,310 | $28,963 |
| 47 | Montana | $26,770 | $23,920 | $33,960 | 820 | $28,285 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $24,960 | $22,000 | $28,190 | 3,000 | $28,297 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $23,500 | $22,030 | $27,890 | 21,750 | $26,065 |
| 50 | West Virginia | $23,120 | $22,290 | $26,680 | 16,490 | $25,833 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $22,670 | $21,350 | $26,750 | 11,170 | $26,072 |
| 52 | Puerto Rico | $22,640 | $21,840 | $25,900 | 3,810 | N/A |
| 53 | Guam | $21,690 | $21,380 | $21,910 | 650 | N/A |
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, that changes the ranking: Hawaii leads on raw pay at $48,120, while Hawaii leads 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.
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?
Guam reports the lowest median for Cooks, Fast Food at $21,690 a year, $26,430 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Cooks, Fast Food earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Hawaii first at $43,765 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $48,120. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
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