Cooks, Fast Food Salary in Birmingham, AL
Cooks, Fast Food in the Birmingham, AL metro area earn a median $28,320 a year — 8% less than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $23,781 take-home, or $1,982 a month.
Take-home pay calculator
Pre-filled with the median cooks, fast food salary in Birmingham, AL. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.
- Federal income tax$1,222
- Social Security (6.2%)$1,756
- Medicare (1.45%)$411
- Alabama income tax$1,151
- Take-home pay$23,781
Marginal rate: 10% federal + 5.00% state
Living in Birmingham? City residents also pay Birmingham’s Occupational Tax — about $283 a year on this salary — which lowers take-home pay to $23,497 ($1,958 a month). Choose “Birmingham” 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 Birmingham, AL
| Percentile | Salary | Hourly | Take-home / yr | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $23,800 | $11.44 | $20,284 | $1,690 |
| 25th percentile | $26,410 | $12.70 | $22,303 | $1,859 |
| Median (50th) | $28,320 | $13.62 | $23,781 | $1,982 |
| 75th percentile | $29,710 | $14.28 | $24,831 | $2,069 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $34,650 | $16.66 | $28,554 | $2,379 |
Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, Alabama resident, 2026 tax rules.
What $28,320 buys in Birmingham, AL
Prices in Birmingham, AL are 8.4% lower than the U.S. average (housing costs are 28% below the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median cooks, fast food's $23,781 take-home pay has the buying power of $25,949 in a typical American city.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Birmingham, AL has 2.9× the national concentration of cooks, fast food jobs — a strong local market for this occupation.
Best-paying cities for cooks, fast food, adjusted for cost of living
Birmingham, AL ranks #34 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 |
| 34 | Birmingham, AL | $28,320 | $23,781 | $25,949 |
*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.
Cooks, Fast Food salaries elsewhere in Alabama
- Huntsville, AL — $29,310
Frequently asked questions
How much does a cooks, fast food make in Birmingham, AL?
The median cooks, fast food salary in the Birmingham, AL metro area is $28,320 a year, or about $13.62 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $26,410 and $29,710.
What is a cooks, fast food’s take-home pay in Birmingham, AL?
On the median $28,320 salary, a single filer living in Alabama takes home about $23,781 a year ($1,982 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $1,151 in Alabama taxes in 2026.
Is Birmingham, AL a good place to work as a cooks, fast food?
Pay here is 8% below the national median of $30,890. Local prices are 8.4% below the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $25,949 would in a typical U.S. city. Birmingham, AL ranks #34 of 53 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.
Can a cooks, fast food afford rent in Birmingham, AL?
HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Birmingham, AL is $1,115 a month ($1,234 for two bedrooms) — 56% of a median cooks, fast food’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.
Related jobs in Birmingham, AL
- First-Line Supervisor of Food Preparation and Serving Workers — $38,570
- Cooks, Restaurant — $34,340
- Food Preparation Worker — $29,260
- Waiter and Waitress — $27,670
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria — $27,220
- Fast Food and Counter Worker — $27,020