Cooks, Fast Food
Cooks, Fast Food (SOC 35-2011) earn a median $30,890 a year ($14.85 an hour) in the United States, with 641,070 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Hawaii.
What cooks, fast food do
Fast-food cooks work in quick-service restaurants where the menu is short and the job is confined to a handful of basic items. Most of the cooking happens on large, single-purpose machines such as grills, deep fryers, and griddles. Orders arrive on slips or as spoken instructions, and the cook produces precisely the quantity each customer asked for, often juggling several orders together. Items include pizzas, fish and chips, sandwiches, and tacos, all made with methods that need little time. Before cooking, they wash and cut the foods that are meant to be cooked. They also order and receive supplies, make drinks such as coffee and fountain beverages, and clean prep areas, cooking surfaces, and utensils. The narrow menu is what separates these workers from restaurant cooks and short-order cooks, who handle a wider variety of foods.
Typical entry: O*NET respondents most often report a high school diploma or equivalent as the usual education level (about 58 percent).
Also called: Cook, Deep Fat Fryer Operator, Fast Food Cook, Fast Food Fry Cook, Fast Food Worker.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $10.86 | $13.11 | $14.85 | $17.92 | $20.63 | $15.57 | 641,070 |
| Annual | $22,580 | $27,260 | $30,890 | $37,260 | $42,910 | $32,390 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where cooks, fast food earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Hawaii | Hourly | $14.00 | $14.00 | $23.14 | $23.68 | $25.76 | $20.03 | ** | ** | ** |
| Annual | $29,120 | $29,120 | $48,120 | $49,260 | $53,580 | $41,670 | ||||
| District of Columbia | Hourly | $17.54 | $18.66 | $21.48 | $23.47 | $24.64 | $21.02 | 2,760 | 3.94 | 0.96 |
| Annual | $36,480 | $38,800 | $44,670 | $48,820 | $51,260 | $43,710 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $17.19 | $17.92 | $20.21 | $20.82 | $23.44 | $19.95 | 124,440 | 6.83 | 1.66 |
| Annual | $35,750 | $37,260 | $42,050 | $43,300 | $48,750 | $41,490 | ||||
| Washington | Hourly | $16.99 | $17.50 | $18.81 | $21.18 | $21.57 | $19.92 | 9,020 | 2.54 | 0.62 |
| Annual | $35,330 | $36,390 | $39,120 | $44,050 | $44,860 | $41,420 | ||||
| New Hampshire | Hourly | $17.17 | $18.03 | $18.55 | $21.29 | $22.08 | $19.42 | 1,330 | 1.95 | 0.47 |
| Annual | $35,720 | $37,500 | $38,590 | $44,290 | $45,930 | $40,390 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| California | Hourly | $17.19 | $17.92 | $20.21 | $20.82 | $23.44 | $19.95 | 124,440 | 6.83 | 1.66 |
| Annual | $35,750 | $37,260 | $42,050 | $43,300 | $48,750 | $41,490 | ||||
| North Carolina | Hourly | $10.52 | $10.93 | $13.07 | $14.04 | $16.76 | $13.02 | 81,980 | 16.59 | 4.02 |
| Annual | $21,890 | $22,740 | $27,190 | $29,190 | $34,860 | $27,080 | ||||
| Missouri | Hourly | $13.75 | $13.84 | $14.37 | $14.94 | $16.97 | $14.90 | 55,780 | 19.00 | 4.61 |
| Annual | $28,600 | $28,790 | $29,890 | $31,080 | $35,290 | $30,990 | ||||
| Texas | Hourly | $10.00 | $11.10 | $13.60 | $17.52 | $18.82 | $14.27 | 36,240 | 2.58 | 0.62 |
| Annual | $20,800 | $23,090 | $28,280 | $36,450 | $39,140 | $29,680 | ||||
| Alabama | Hourly | $10.89 | $11.34 | $13.40 | $14.12 | $16.43 | $13.26 | 26,740 | 12.65 | 3.07 |
| Annual | $22,640 | $23,590 | $27,870 | $29,380 | $34,170 | $27,570 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | Hourly | $18.37 | $20.34 | $22.70 | $23.99 | $24.45 | $22.37 | 4,790 | 4.22 | 1.02 |
| Annual | $38,210 | $42,320 | $47,220 | $49,900 | $50,850 | $46,530 | ||||
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | Hourly | $18.44 | $20.74 | $22.44 | $23.44 | $26.36 | $22.40 | 10,160 | 4.28 | 1.04 |
| Annual | $38,350 | $43,140 | $46,670 | $48,750 | $54,820 | $46,590 | ||||
| Napa, CA | Hourly | $17.99 | $19.39 | $21.78 | $22.12 | $22.38 | $21.11 | 370 | 4.74 | 1.15 |
| Annual | $37,420 | $40,340 | $45,300 | $46,010 | $46,560 | $43,910 | ||||
| Vallejo, CA | Hourly | $17.76 | $20.86 | $21.37 | $21.65 | $26.69 | $21.33 | 1,150 | 8.00 | 1.94 |
| Annual | $36,950 | $43,380 | $44,450 | $45,030 | $55,520 | $44,360 | ||||
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | Hourly | $16.99 | $18.40 | $21.17 | $21.34 | $23.14 | $21.04 | 5,190 | 2.49 | 0.60 |
| Annual | $35,330 | $38,280 | $44,030 | $44,390 | $48,140 | $43,770 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | $17.19 | $17.83 | $18.27 | $20.45 | $21.90 | $19.33 | 48,440 | 7.72 | 1.87 |
| Annual | $35,760 | $37,080 | $38,000 | $42,540 | $45,550 | $40,210 | ||||
| St. Louis, MO-IL | Hourly | $14.19 | $14.54 | $14.84 | $16.25 | $17.52 | $15.61 | 17,700 | 13.20 | 3.20 |
| Annual | $29,510 | $30,250 | $30,860 | $33,800 | $36,450 | $32,470 | ||||
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | Hourly | $16.73 | $18.02 | $20.42 | $20.67 | $21.19 | $19.92 | 16,910 | 9.85 | 2.39 |
| Annual | $34,800 | $37,480 | $42,480 | $43,000 | $44,080 | $41,430 | ||||
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | Hourly | $10.79 | $11.58 | $13.31 | $14.83 | $17.17 | $13.81 | 15,830 | 11.65 | 2.83 |
| Annual | $22,430 | $24,080 | $27,690 | $30,840 | $35,720 | $28,720 | ||||
| Kansas City, MO-KS | Hourly | $14.03 | $14.35 | $14.50 | $15.24 | $16.73 | $15.01 | 13,850 | 12.64 | 3.07 |
| Annual | $29,180 | $29,850 | $30,170 | $31,700 | $34,800 | $31,230 | ||||
Top industries employing cooks, fast food
Restaurants and Other Eating Places employ 96.0% of cooks, fast food nationally (615,170 jobs) at a median $30,780 a year ($14.80 an hour), followed by Food and Beverage Retailers (4451 and 4452 only) (1.4%) and Gasoline Stations (0.8%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places NAICS 722500 | 615,170 | 96.0% | $30,780 | $14.80 |
| Food and Beverage Retailers (4451 and 4452 only) NAICS 4450A1 | 8,900 | 1.4% | $36,440 | $17.52 |
| Gasoline Stations NAICS 457100 | 5,420 | 0.8% | $28,600 | $13.75 |
| Special Food Services NAICS 722300 | 4,140 | 0.6% | $37,130 | $17.85 |
| Other Amusement and Recreation Industries NAICS 713900 | 1,220 | 0.2% | $34,830 | $16.74 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (641,070). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $24,180 for cooks, fast food in May 2021 and $30,890 in May 2025, with employment of 768,130 and 641,070.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $24,180 | $11.63 | 768,130 |
| May 2022 | $27,640 | $13.29 | 725,590 |
| May 2023 | $29,260 | $14.07 | 673,490 |
| May 2024 | $30,160 | $14.50 | 668,230 |
| May 2025 | $30,890 | $14.85 | 641,070 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
51 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii profile | $23.14 | $48,120 | $29,120 | $53,580 | ** | ** | ** |
| 2 | District of Columbia profile | $21.48 | $44,670 | $36,480 | $51,260 | 2,760 | 3.94 | 0.96 |
| 3 | California profile | $20.21 | $42,050 | $35,750 | $48,750 | 124,440 | 6.83 | 1.66 |
| 4 | Washington profile | $18.81 | $39,120 | $35,330 | $44,860 | 9,020 | 2.54 | 0.62 |
| 5 | New Hampshire profile | $18.55 | $38,590 | $35,720 | $45,930 | 1,330 | 1.95 | 0.47 |
| 6 | Vermont profile | $18.38 | $38,230 | $31,540 | $39,650 | 640 | 2.11 | 0.51 |
| 7 | Oregon profile | $18.21 | $37,880 | $31,610 | $49,240 | 4,300 | 2.19 | 0.53 |
| 8 | Massachusetts profile | $18.21 | $37,870 | $35,590 | $48,140 | ** | ** | ** |
| 9 | Colorado profile | $17.74 | $36,900 | $31,970 | $46,610 | 9,220 | 3.21 | 0.78 |
| 10 | Maine profile | $17.48 | $36,350 | $31,350 | $44,280 | 1,470 | 2.30 | 0.56 |
| 11 | New York profile | $17.20 | $35,770 | $32,770 | $40,250 | 11,710 | 1.21 | 0.29 |
| 12 | Rhode Island profile | $16.94 | $35,230 | $31,200 | $38,470 | 1,210 | 2.41 | 0.59 |
| 13 | Connecticut profile | $16.82 | $34,980 | $34,010 | $42,640 | 3,630 | 2.14 | 0.52 |
| 14 | Illinois profile | $16.81 | $34,960 | $31,200 | $40,580 | 13,430 | 2.20 | 0.53 |
| 15 | Minnesota profile | $16.41 | $34,120 | $24,550 | $39,560 | 5,190 | 1.76 | 0.43 |
| 16 | Alaska profile | $16.33 | $33,960 | $30,160 | $37,760 | 2,250 | 6.93 | 1.68 |
| 17 | Nevada profile | $16.27 | $33,840 | $26,530 | $43,440 | 5,890 | 3.80 | 0.92 |
| 18 | Maryland profile | $16.02 | $33,320 | $31,200 | $38,210 | 10,960 | 3.97 | 0.96 |
| 19 | Arizona profile | $15.70 | $32,660 | $30,580 | $36,440 | 11,210 | 3.46 | 0.84 |
| 20 | New Jersey profile | $15.49 | $32,220 | $32,220 | $41,860 | 3,440 | 0.80 | 0.19 |
| 21 | Delaware profile | $15.31 | $31,840 | $31,200 | $48,870 | 850 | 1.76 | 0.43 |
| 22 | Utah profile | $15.29 | $31,800 | $27,760 | $47,200 | 4,400 | 2.54 | 0.61 |
| 23 | Idaho profile | $14.94 | $31,070 | $18,620 | $35,860 | 1,610 | 1.88 | 0.45 |
| 24 | South Dakota profile | $14.88 | $30,950 | $25,410 | $34,910 | 1,720 | 3.76 | 0.91 |
| 25 | Nebraska profile | $14.63 | $30,430 | $28,080 | $36,910 | 2,900 | 2.83 | 0.69 |
| 26 | North Dakota profile | $14.53 | $30,220 | $23,060 | $38,480 | 580 | 1.34 | 0.32 |
| 27 | New Mexico profile | $14.52 | $30,190 | $27,860 | $37,550 | 1,800 | 2.06 | 0.50 |
| 28 | Virginia profile | $14.40 | $29,950 | $27,400 | $37,730 | 12,520 | 3.05 | 0.74 |
| 29 | Florida profile | $14.37 | $29,900 | $27,460 | $41,400 | 22,600 | 2.28 | 0.55 |
| 30 | Missouri profile | $14.37 | $29,890 | $28,600 | $35,290 | 55,780 | 19.00 | 4.61 |
| 31 | Indiana profile | $14.36 | $29,870 | $24,050 | $37,310 | 6,830 | 2.14 | 0.52 |
| 32 | Michigan profile | $14.17 | $29,460 | $25,960 | $37,240 | 14,340 | 3.26 | 0.79 |
| 33 | Wyoming profile | $13.92 | $28,950 | $21,240 | $42,520 | 890 | 3.17 | 0.77 |
| 34 | Wisconsin profile | $13.90 | $28,920 | $22,550 | $34,920 | 6,900 | 2.35 | 0.57 |
| 35 | Pennsylvania profile | $13.85 | $28,810 | $22,610 | $42,380 | 9,240 | 1.52 | 0.37 |
| 36 | Kansas profile | $13.77 | $28,640 | $22,480 | $38,680 | 1,610 | 1.12 | 0.27 |
| 37 | Iowa profile | $13.71 | $28,510 | $15,080 | $40,810 | 8,290 | 5.32 | 1.29 |
| 38 | Tennessee profile | $13.62 | $28,330 | $20,380 | $38,330 | 14,020 | 4.28 | 1.04 |
| 39 | Texas profile | $13.60 | $28,280 | $20,800 | $39,140 | 36,240 | 2.58 | 0.62 |
| 40 | Alabama profile | $13.40 | $27,870 | $22,640 | $34,170 | 26,740 | 12.65 | 3.07 |
| 41 | Oklahoma profile | $13.33 | $27,720 | $22,340 | $36,900 | 8,860 | 5.19 | 1.26 |
| 42 | Arkansas profile | $13.32 | $27,710 | $23,770 | $32,720 | 7,860 | 6.03 | 1.46 |
| 43 | South Carolina profile | $13.18 | $27,420 | $21,690 | $37,140 | 9,110 | 3.95 | 0.96 |
| 44 | North Carolina profile | $13.07 | $27,190 | $21,890 | $34,860 | 81,980 | 16.59 | 4.02 |
| 45 | Georgia profile | $12.95 | $26,940 | $20,800 | $36,810 | 12,940 | 2.65 | 0.64 |
| 46 | Ohio profile | $12.92 | $26,870 | $22,500 | $35,570 | 12,310 | 2.22 | 0.54 |
| 47 | Montana profile | $12.87 | $26,770 | $22,090 | $47,100 | 820 | 1.59 | 0.39 |
| 48 | Louisiana profile | $12.00 | $24,960 | $20,890 | $29,640 | 3,000 | 1.55 | 0.38 |
| 49 | Kentucky profile | $11.30 | $23,500 | $21,220 | $30,000 | 21,750 | 10.88 | 2.64 |
| 50 | West Virginia profile | $11.12 | $23,120 | $21,600 | $28,300 | 16,490 | 23.50 | 5.70 |
| 51 | Mississippi profile | $10.90 | $22,670 | $18,540 | $28,790 | 11,170 | 9.61 | 2.33 |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (35-2010), with their national median annual wage.
Part of Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 35-2011 Cooks, Fast Food.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 35-2011, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 35-2011.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.