Cooks, Fast Food Salary in New York, NY
Cooks, Fast Food in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area earn a median $35,780 a year — 16% more than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $29,594 take-home, or $2,466 a month.
Take-home pay calculator
Pre-filled with the median cooks, fast food salary in New York, NY. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.
- Federal income tax$2,114
- Social Security (6.2%)$2,218
- Medicare (1.45%)$519
- New York income tax$1,335
- Take-home pay$29,594
Marginal rate: 12% federal + 5.40% state
Living in New York City? City residents also pay New York City’s city income tax — about $965 a year on this salary — which lowers take-home pay to $28,630 ($2,386 a month). Choose “New York City” under City income tax in the calculator. Suburban residents usually don’t pay it.
The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro spans New York, New Jersey. Pick the state you live in — state income tax follows your residence.
Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →
Cooks, Fast Food pay by experience in New York, NY
| Percentile | Salary | Hourly | Take-home / yr | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $32,220 | $15.49 | $26,926 | $2,244 |
| 25th percentile | $33,120 | $15.92 | $27,600 | $2,300 |
| Median (50th) | $35,780 | $17.20 | $29,594 | $2,466 |
| 75th percentile | $38,130 | $18.33 | $31,355 | $2,613 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $39,330 | $18.91 | $32,255 | $2,688 |
Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, New York resident, 2026 tax rules.
What $35,780 buys in New York, NY
Prices in New York, NY are 12.6% higher than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1.49× the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median cooks, fast food's $29,594 take-home pay has the buying power of $26,291 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 New York, NY than nationally (location quotient 0.27), so openings may be scarcer.
Best-paying cities for cooks, fast food, adjusted for cost of living
New York, NY ranks #33 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 |
| 33 | New York, NY | $35,780 | $29,594 | $26,291 |
*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 New York, NY?
The median cooks, fast food salary in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area is $35,780 a year, or about $17.20 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $33,120 and $38,130.
What is a cooks, fast food’s take-home pay in New York, NY?
On the median $35,780 salary, a single filer living in New York takes home about $29,594 a year ($2,466 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $1,335 in New York taxes in 2026.
Is New York, NY a good place to work as a cooks, fast food?
Pay here is 16% above the national median of $30,890. Local prices are 12.6% above the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $26,291 would in a typical U.S. city. New York, NY ranks #33 of 53 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.
Can a cooks, fast food afford rent in New York, NY?
HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in New York, NY is $2,378 a month ($2,697 for two bedrooms) — 96% of a median cooks, fast food’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.
Related jobs in New York, NY
- Chef and Head Cook — $71,780
- Bartender — $61,220
- First-Line Supervisor of Food Preparation and Serving Workers — $48,690
- Waiter and Waitress — $47,610
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria — $46,870
- Cooks, Restaurant — $43,740
- Food Servers, Nonrestaurant — $39,120
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendant and Bartender Helper — $36,980
- Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop — $36,500
- Food Preparation Worker — $35,670
- Dishwasher — $35,670
- Fast Food and Counter Worker — $35,420