$ PaycheckDecoded

Cooks, Short Order Salary

Cooks, Short Order earn a median $35,880 a year nationally. Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations

U.S. median
$35,880
$17.25 per hour
Range
$23,440 – $46,460
10th to 90th percentile
Employed
138,650
across the U.S.

Cooks, Short Order take-home pay calculator

Starts at the national median. Pick your state to see your real paycheck.

Cooks, Short Order
Deductions, kids & local tax

2026 tax year. Federal brackets from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.

Your take-home pay
$31,010
per year · effective tax rate 13.6%
$2,584Monthly
$1,292Twice a month
$1,193Every 2 weeks
$14.91Hourly
  • Federal income tax$2,126
  • Social Security (6.2%)$2,225
  • Medicare (1.45%)$520
  • Texas income tax$0
  • Take-home pay$31,010

Marginal rate: 12% federal + 0.00% state

Pay by experience

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home (no state tax)
10th percentile (entry level)$23,440$11.27$20,913
25th percentile$30,610$14.72$26,775
Median (50th)$35,880$17.25$31,010
75th percentile$42,450$20.41$36,289
90th percentile (top earners)$46,460$22.34$39,511

Best cities for cooks, short order (after tax & cost of living)

#Metro areaMedianTake-homeReal value*Jobs
1Seattle, WA$50,870$43,054$38,741830
2Providence, RI$44,050$36,539$35,903520
3Santa Rosa, CA$46,450$38,051$35,303700
4Denver, CO$44,200$36,458$34,4661,010
5San Jose, CA$45,990$37,706$34,1471,660
6Sioux Falls, SD$35,570$30,760$33,940660
7St. Louis, MO$38,490$32,235$33,900910
8Nashville, TN$37,830$32,576$33,815600
9San Francisco, CA$45,790$37,556$32,4844,430
10Las Vegas, NV$37,770$32,528$32,458600
11Columbus, OH$35,200$30,278$31,7151,100
12Los Angeles, CA$43,680$35,973$31,67512,410
13Fresno, CA$38,280$31,920$31,246930
14Syracuse, NY$36,190$29,901$31,231680
15Rochester, NY$36,580$30,194$31,1161,180
16Omaha, NE$32,710$27,844$30,295850
17Washington, DC$39,650$32,826$30,1473,850
18Sacramento, CA$38,480$32,070$30,0651,800
19Buffalo, NY$34,730$28,807$30,0561,410
20Charlotte, NC$34,600$29,109$29,902530
21Tampa, FL$34,740$30,094$29,8281,170
22Boston, MA$39,600$32,239$29,7774,460
23Chicago, IL$37,440$30,555$29,4941,780
24Detroit, MI$35,630$29,545$29,4571,300
25Cincinnati, OH$32,180$27,934$29,290580

*Take-home pay in U.S.-average dollars (BEA Regional Price Parities).

Highest-paying cities

Cooks, Short Order salary by state

StateMedianTake-homeRangeJobs
Arizona $46,630$38,690 $31,790 – $50,1801,880
Rhode Island $46,250$38,224 $31,940 – $47,920—
Massachusetts $44,290$35,773 $32,550 – $53,7804,760
Hawaii $43,110$35,031 $36,840 – $61,640460
California $42,930$35,410 $35,880 – $47,15030,740
Washington $42,760$36,538 $34,650 – $55,6601,700
Colorado $42,450$35,129 $32,030 – $64,8401,900
Connecticut $42,450$35,303 $34,610 – $46,040—
District of Columbia $42,450$34,908 $39,650 – $47,0601,910
New Jersey $40,720$34,191 $33,540 – $51,440850
Idaho $40,090$33,376 $23,130 – $61,190120
Vermont $38,830$32,513 $34,990 – $47,760670
Oregon $38,550$30,611 $30,090 – $54,8701,780
Delaware $38,500$31,655 $33,040 – $42,810—
Missouri $38,490$32,235 $29,810 – $46,440—
Utah $38,010$31,977 $21,820 – $49,410320
Alaska $37,780$32,536 $34,830 – $47,600330
Nevada $37,780$32,536 $27,040 – $41,530790
Illinois $37,440$30,555 $31,200 – $45,9502,630
New Mexico $37,150$31,400 $29,240 – $45,010750
Maryland $36,800$30,364 $31,840 – $44,5403,250
New York $35,550$29,422 $32,240 – $46,55018,300
Maine $35,360$29,333 $32,150 – $41,6001,120
Oklahoma $35,130$29,372 $25,290 – $36,270760
Michigan $34,510$28,693 $26,750 – $43,1802,560
Florida $34,240$29,692 $31,450 – $37,2605,050
Iowa $34,090$28,928 $24,960 – $46,6501,160
Montana $33,240$28,083 $29,890 – $36,310—
South Dakota $32,380$28,197 $27,950 – $46,4402,000
New Hampshire $32,330$28,157 $24,140 – $49,0202,320
Minnesota $32,150$27,111 $23,150 – $44,460870
Kentucky $31,840$26,767 $22,860 – $44,880650
North Carolina $31,290$26,582 $23,350 – $38,2103,170
Virginia $31,200$26,269 $25,810 – $42,5203,350
Nebraska $30,530$26,169 $28,080 – $41,4301,810
Arkansas $30,510$25,718 $26,000 – $37,140160
Tennessee $30,210$26,454 $22,880 – $39,2402,510
South Carolina $29,640$25,374 $22,670 – $34,480900
Ohio $29,290$25,691 $22,260 – $38,6206,000
Mississippi $28,180$24,421 $19,200 – $35,2501,890
Wisconsin $28,130$24,304 $22,550 – $39,0802,270
West Virginia $27,440$23,526 $20,120 – $36,210620
Kansas $27,400$23,413 $24,110 – $36,570640
Georgia $26,870$22,966 $21,430 – $41,0103,870
Louisiana $26,260$22,834 $19,690 – $40,5301,990
Texas $25,320$22,461 $21,850 – $36,3207,540
Alabama $22,330$19,147 $20,500 – $31,220—
Indiana $21,940$19,060 $20,760 – $36,2602,940
Pennsylvania $19,910$17,395 $17,150 – $40,4603,510

Frequently asked questions

How much does a cooks, short order make?

The national median salary for cooks, short order is $35,880 a year ($17.25 an hour). The lowest-paid 10% earn under $23,440 and the top 10% earn over $46,460. Source: BLS, May 2025.

Which state pays cooks, short order the most?

Arizona has the highest median pay at $46,630. After taxes and local prices, Seattle, WA offers the best real take-home pay of any metro area.

How many cooks, short order are there in the U.S.?

About 138,650 people work as cooks, short order nationwide.

All 45 cities