Cooks, Fast Food Salary in Baltimore, MD
Cooks, Fast Food in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area earn a median $33,290 a year — 8% more than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $27,711 take-home, or $2,309 a month.
Take-home pay calculator
Pre-filled with the median cooks, fast food salary in Baltimore, MD. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.
- Federal income tax$1,815
- Social Security (6.2%)$2,064
- Medicare (1.45%)$483
- Maryland income tax$1,218
- Take-home pay$27,711
Marginal rate: 12% federal + 4.75% state
Living in Baltimore City? City residents also pay Baltimore City’s city income tax — about $856 a year on this salary — which lowers take-home pay to $26,855 ($2,238 a month). Choose “Baltimore City” under City income tax in the calculator. Suburban residents usually don’t pay it.
Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →
Cooks, Fast Food pay by experience in Baltimore, MD
| Percentile | Salary | Hourly | Take-home / yr | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $31,200 | $15.00 | $26,131 | $2,178 |
| 25th percentile | $31,550 | $15.17 | $26,395 | $2,200 |
| Median (50th) | $33,290 | $16.00 | $27,711 | $2,309 |
| 75th percentile | $34,410 | $16.54 | $28,558 | $2,380 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $38,210 | $18.37 | $31,430 | $2,619 |
Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, Maryland resident, 2026 tax rules.
What $33,290 buys in Baltimore, MD
Prices in Baltimore, MD are 4.5% higher than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1.18× the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median cooks, fast food's $27,711 take-home pay has the buying power of $26,521 in a typical American city.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Cooks, Fast Food jobs are about as common in Baltimore, MD as in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.97).
Best-paying cities for cooks, fast food, adjusted for cost of living
Baltimore, MD ranks #29 of 53 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.
| # | Metro area | Median salary | Take-home | Real value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose, CA | $47,220 | $38,625 | $34,979 |
| 2 | Bakersfield, CA | $41,480 | $34,321 | $34,020 |
| 3 | Austin, TX | $38,560 | $33,163 | $33,817 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $44,030 | $37,558 | $33,796 |
| 5 | San Francisco, CA | $46,670 | $38,217 | $33,056 |
| 6 | Riverside, CA | $42,480 | $35,072 | $32,949 |
| 7 | Sacramento, CA | $42,210 | $34,869 | $32,689 |
| 8 | Fresno, CA | $39,620 | $32,925 | $32,230 |
| 29 | Baltimore, MD | $33,290 | $27,711 | $26,521 |
*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 53 metros →
About the job: cooks, fast food
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.
- Typical education
- No formal educational credential
- Work experience
- None required
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Job outlook, 2025–35
- +0.6% (slower than average)
Source: BLS Standard Occupational Classification and Employment Projections, 2025–35.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a cooks, fast food make in Baltimore, MD?
The median cooks, fast food salary in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area is $33,290 a year, or about $16.00 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $31,550 and $34,410.
What is a cooks, fast food’s take-home pay in Baltimore, MD?
On the median $33,290 salary, a single filer living in Maryland takes home about $27,711 a year ($2,309 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $1,218 in Maryland taxes in 2026.
Is Baltimore, MD a good place to work as a cooks, fast food?
Pay here is 8% above the national median of $30,890. Local prices are 4.5% above the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $26,521 would in a typical U.S. city. Baltimore, MD ranks #29 of 53 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.
Can a cooks, fast food afford rent in Baltimore, MD?
HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Baltimore, MD is $1,511 a month ($1,857 for two bedrooms) — 65% of a median cooks, fast food’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.
Related jobs in Baltimore, MD
- First-Line Supervisor of Food Preparation and Serving Workers — $38,760
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendant and Bartender Helper — $37,540
- Cooks, Restaurant — $37,420
- Bartender — $37,360
- Waiter and Waitress — $36,170
- Food Servers, Nonrestaurant — $35,710
- Food Preparation Worker — $35,080
- Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop — $34,320
- Dishwasher — $33,280
- Fast Food and Counter Worker — $33,090