Cooks, Fast Food Salary in Portland, OR
Cooks, Fast Food in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area earn a median $38,580 a year — 25% more than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $30,633 take-home, or $2,553 a month.
Take-home pay calculator
Pre-filled with the median cooks, fast food salary in Portland, OR. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.
- Federal income tax$2,450
- Social Security (6.2%)$2,392
- Medicare (1.45%)$559
- Oregon income tax$2,546
- Take-home pay$30,633
Marginal rate: 12% federal + 8.75% state
The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro spans Oregon, Washington. 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 Portland, OR
| Percentile | Salary | Hourly | Take-home / yr | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $36,410 | $17.50 | $29,079 | $2,423 |
| 25th percentile | $37,780 | $18.16 | $30,060 | $2,505 |
| Median (50th) | $38,580 | $18.55 | $30,633 | $2,553 |
| 75th percentile | $45,250 | $21.75 | $35,409 | $2,951 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $53,430 | $25.69 | $41,266 | $3,439 |
Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, Oregon resident, 2026 tax rules.
What $38,580 buys in Portland, OR
Prices in Portland, OR are 5.4% higher than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1.25× the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median cooks, fast food's $30,633 take-home pay has the buying power of $29,058 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 Portland, OR than nationally (location quotient 0.51), so openings may be scarcer.
Best-paying cities for cooks, fast food, adjusted for cost of living
Portland, OR ranks #14 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 |
| 14 | Portland, OR | $38,580 | $30,633 | $29,058 |
*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 Portland, OR?
The median cooks, fast food salary in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area is $38,580 a year, or about $18.55 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $37,780 and $45,250.
What is a cooks, fast food’s take-home pay in Portland, OR?
On the median $38,580 salary, a single filer living in Oregon takes home about $30,633 a year ($2,553 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $2,546 in Oregon taxes in 2026.
Is Portland, OR a good place to work as a cooks, fast food?
Pay here is 25% above the national median of $30,890. Local prices are 5.4% above the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $29,058 would in a typical U.S. city. Portland, OR ranks #14 of 53 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.
Can a cooks, fast food afford rent in Portland, OR?
HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Portland, OR is $1,677 a month ($1,922 for two bedrooms) — 66% of a median cooks, fast food’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.
Related jobs in Portland, OR
- Waiter and Waitress — $54,780
- First-Line Supervisor of Food Preparation and Serving Workers — $48,900
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria — $45,800
- Bartender — $45,590
- Cooks, Restaurant — $45,200
- Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop — $43,410
- Food Preparation Worker — $38,730
- Dishwasher — $37,250
- Food Servers, Nonrestaurant — $37,230
- Fast Food and Counter Worker — $35,620