Cooks, Fast Food Salary in Detroit, MI
Cooks, Fast Food in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area earn a median $29,810 a year — 3% less than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $25,116 take-home, or $2,093 a month.
Take-home pay calculator
Pre-filled with the median cooks, fast food salary in Detroit, MI. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.
- Federal income tax$1,397
- Social Security (6.2%)$1,848
- Medicare (1.45%)$432
- Michigan income tax$1,016
- Take-home pay$25,116
Marginal rate: 12% federal + 4.25% state
Living in Detroit? City residents also pay Detroit’s city income tax — about $715 a year on this salary — which lowers take-home pay to $24,401 ($2,033 a month). Choose “Detroit” 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 Detroit, MI
| Percentile | Salary | Hourly | Take-home / yr | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $28,090 | $13.50 | $23,799 | $1,983 |
| 25th percentile | $29,260 | $14.07 | $24,698 | $2,058 |
| Median (50th) | $29,810 | $14.33 | $25,116 | $2,093 |
| 75th percentile | $30,920 | $14.87 | $25,961 | $2,163 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $37,990 | $18.26 | $31,341 | $2,612 |
Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, Michigan resident, 2026 tax rules.
What $29,810 buys in Detroit, MI
Prices in Detroit, MI are 0.3% higher than the U.S. average (housing costs are 5% below the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median cooks, fast food's $25,116 take-home pay has the buying power of $25,042 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 less concentrated in Detroit, MI than nationally (location quotient 0.76), so openings may be scarcer.
Best-paying cities for cooks, fast food, adjusted for cost of living
Detroit, MI ranks #40 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 |
| 40 | Detroit, MI | $29,810 | $25,116 | $25,042 |
*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 Detroit, MI?
The median cooks, fast food salary in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area is $29,810 a year, or about $14.33 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $29,260 and $30,920.
What is a cooks, fast food’s take-home pay in Detroit, MI?
On the median $29,810 salary, a single filer living in Michigan takes home about $25,116 a year ($2,093 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $1,016 in Michigan taxes in 2026.
Is Detroit, MI a good place to work as a cooks, fast food?
Pay here is 3% below the national median of $30,890. Local prices are 0.3% above the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $25,042 would in a typical U.S. city. Detroit, MI ranks #40 of 53 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.
Can a cooks, fast food afford rent in Detroit, MI?
HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Detroit, MI is $1,128 a month ($1,413 for two bedrooms) — 54% of a median cooks, fast food’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.
Related jobs in Detroit, MI
- Chef and Head Cook — $60,870
- First-Line Supervisor of Food Preparation and Serving Workers — $38,570
- Waiter and Waitress — $37,490
- Cooks, Restaurant — $37,410
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria — $37,360
- Bartender — $36,780
- Food Servers, Nonrestaurant — $35,170
- Dishwasher — $34,350
- Food Preparation Worker — $33,060
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendant and Bartender Helper — $30,760
- Fast Food and Counter Worker — $29,590
- Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop — $29,290