Sort by any column. Employment is the number of cooks, short order OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
Cook, Short Order Salary by State (2026)
Cooks, Short Order earn the most in Arizona at $46,630 a year and the least in Pennsylvania at $19,910 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $35,880. All 51 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $46,630
- National median
- $35,880
- Lowest median
- $19,910
- States reporting
- 51
Arizona
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Pennsylvania
of 54 OEWS areas
Top 5 states for Cooks, Short Order
- 1. Arizona$46,630 median · $46,316 adjusted · 1,880 employed
- 2. Rhode Island$46,250 median · $45,219 adjusted · N/A employed
- 3. Massachusetts$44,290 median · $41,879 adjusted · 4,760 employed
- 4. Hawaii$43,110 median · $39,208 adjusted · 460 employed
- 5. California$42,930 median · $38,773 adjusted · 30,740 employed
Lowest-paying states for Cooks, Short Order
- 51. Pennsylvania$19,910 median · $20,405 adjusted · 3,510 employed
- 50. Indiana$21,940 median · $23,508 adjusted · 2,940 employed
- 49. Alabama$22,330 median · $25,140 adjusted · N/A employed
- 48. Puerto Rico$22,500 median · no price parity · 1,640 employed
- 47. Guam$23,080 median · no price parity · 40 employed
Cook, Short Order salary in every state
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | $46,630 | $36,080 | $50,180 | 1,880 | $46,316 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $46,250 | $41,850 | $46,700 | N/A | $45,219 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $44,290 | $33,620 | $50,690 | 4,760 | $41,879 |
| 4 | Hawaii | $43,110 | $38,600 | $46,620 | 460 | $39,208 |
| 5 | California | $42,930 | $38,250 | $45,020 | 30,740 | $38,773 |
| 6 | Washington | $42,760 | $36,000 | $50,870 | 1,700 | $39,958 |
| 7 | Colorado | $42,450 | $35,220 | $45,760 | 1,900 | $41,193 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $42,450 | $39,970 | $45,400 | N/A | $40,971 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $42,450 | $39,650 | $42,570 | 1,910 | $38,626 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $40,720 | $36,360 | $46,900 | 850 | $37,425 |
| 11 | Idaho | $40,090 | $27,060 | $45,640 | 120 | $41,982 |
| 12 | Vermont | $38,830 | $36,080 | $46,320 | 670 | $39,639 |
| 13 | Oregon | $38,550 | $35,470 | $40,250 | 1,780 | $37,296 |
| 14 | Delaware | $38,500 | $35,980 | $42,810 | N/A | $38,574 |
| 15 | Missouri | $38,490 | $32,150 | $38,490 | N/A | $42,382 |
| 16 | Utah | $38,010 | $34,280 | $44,970 | 320 | $38,447 |
| 17 | Alaska | $37,780 | $37,650 | $41,230 | 330 | $36,909 |
| 18 | Nevada | $37,780 | $29,070 | $40,430 | 790 | $37,788 |
| 19 | Illinois | $37,440 | $34,700 | $38,280 | 2,630 | $37,456 |
| 20 | New Mexico | $37,150 | $33,130 | $39,290 | 750 | $40,288 |
| 21 | Maryland | $36,800 | $36,090 | $43,010 | 3,250 | $35,061 |
| 22 | New York | $35,550 | $33,870 | $42,800 | 18,300 | $32,941 |
| 23 | Maine | $35,360 | $34,190 | $37,680 | 1,120 | $36,435 |
| 24 | Oklahoma | $35,130 | $30,840 | $36,010 | 760 | $39,992 |
| 25 | Michigan | $34,510 | $30,300 | $36,450 | 2,560 | $35,867 |
| 26 | Florida | $34,240 | $33,260 | $35,210 | 5,050 | $33,110 |
| 27 | Iowa | $34,090 | $30,840 | $37,690 | 1,160 | $38,844 |
| 28 | Montana | $33,240 | $32,560 | $33,710 | N/A | $35,121 |
| 29 | South Dakota | $32,380 | $29,590 | $36,750 | 2,000 | $36,552 |
| 30 | New Hampshire | $32,330 | $28,820 | $36,730 | 2,320 | $31,037 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $32,150 | $24,750 | $39,090 | 870 | $32,600 |
| 32 | Kentucky | $31,840 | $26,430 | $39,040 | 650 | $35,315 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $31,290 | $27,990 | $34,700 | 3,170 | $33,172 |
| 34 | Virginia | $31,200 | $27,830 | $36,380 | 3,350 | $30,859 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $30,530 | $28,080 | $36,080 | 1,810 | $33,883 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $30,510 | $27,940 | $34,260 | 160 | $35,094 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $30,210 | $26,780 | $36,350 | 2,510 | $32,883 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $29,640 | $25,280 | $33,280 | 900 | $31,616 |
| 39 | Ohio | $29,290 | $23,930 | $34,290 | 6,000 | $31,571 |
| 40 | Mississippi | $28,180 | $22,290 | $30,560 | 1,890 | $32,408 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $28,130 | $27,440 | $32,590 | 2,270 | $29,895 |
| 42 | West Virginia | $27,440 | $24,380 | $31,380 | 620 | $30,660 |
| 43 | Kansas | $27,400 | $26,530 | $28,250 | 640 | $30,421 |
| 44 | Georgia | $26,870 | $21,430 | $37,430 | 3,870 | $27,904 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $26,260 | $20,990 | $35,420 | 1,990 | $29,771 |
| 46 | Texas | $25,320 | $23,140 | $31,070 | 7,540 | $26,088 |
| 47 | Guam | $23,080 | $23,080 | $25,100 | 40 | N/A |
| 48 | Puerto Rico | $22,500 | $21,850 | $22,690 | 1,640 | N/A |
| 49 | Alabama | $22,330 | $21,220 | $28,800 | N/A | $25,140 |
| 50 | Indiana | $21,940 | $21,440 | $31,240 | 2,940 | $23,508 |
| 51 | Pennsylvania | $19,910 | $17,150 | $31,360 | 3,510 | $20,405 |
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, Short Order, that changes the ranking: Arizona leads on raw pay at $46,630, while Arizona leads once prices are taken into account at $46,316.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Cook, Short Order pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Cooks, Short Order the most?
Arizona reports the highest median wage for Cooks, Short Order at $46,630 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Rhode Island ($46,250) and Massachusetts ($44,290).
Which state pays Cooks, Short Order the least?
Pennsylvania reports the lowest median for Cooks, Short Order at $19,910 a year, $26,720 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Cooks, Short Order earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Arizona first at $46,316 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $46,630. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
← Back to the full Cook, Short Order career profile for outlook, skills and how to become one