Median pay for cooks, short order in each state, from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). Nationally the median is $35,880 a year across about 138,700 jobs. More about this career.
By state
Listed alphabetically to start; MajorPays does not rank states. Click a column heading to sort; shift-click more headings to sort by several columns as a group.
| State | Median pay | 10th to 90th percentile | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $46,630 | $31,790–$50,180 | 1,880 |
| California | $42,930 | $35,880–$47,150 | 30,740 |
| Colorado | $42,450 | $32,030–$64,840 | 1,900 |
| District of Columbia | $42,450 | $39,650–$47,060 | 1,910 |
| Florida | $34,240 | $31,450–$37,260 | 5,050 |
| Georgia | $26,870 | $21,430–$41,010 | 3,870 |
| Illinois | $37,440 | $31,200–$45,950 | 2,630 |
| Indiana | $21,940 | $20,760–$36,260 | 2,940 |
| Iowa | $34,090 | $24,960–$46,650 | 1,160 |
| Louisiana | $26,260 | $19,690–$40,530 | 1,990 |
| Maine | $35,360 | $32,150–$41,600 | 1,120 |
| Maryland | $36,800 | $31,840–$44,540 | 3,250 |
| Massachusetts | $44,290 | $32,550–$53,780 | 4,760 |
| Michigan | $34,510 | $26,750–$43,180 | 2,560 |
| Mississippi | $28,180 | $19,200–$35,250 | 1,890 |
| Nebraska | $30,530 | $28,080–$41,430 | 1,810 |
| New Hampshire | $32,330 | $24,140–$49,020 | 2,320 |
| New York | $35,550 | $32,240–$46,550 | 18,300 |
| North Carolina | $31,290 | $23,350–$38,210 | 3,170 |
| Ohio | $29,290 | $22,260–$38,620 | 6,000 |
| Oregon | $38,550 | $30,090–$54,870 | 1,780 |
| Pennsylvania | $19,910 | $17,150–$40,460 | 3,510 |
| South Dakota | $32,380 | $27,950–$46,440 | 2,000 |
| Tennessee | $30,210 | $22,880–$39,240 | 2,510 |
| Texas | $25,320 | $21,850–$36,320 | 7,540 |
| Virginia | $31,200 | $25,810–$42,520 | 3,350 |
| Washington | $42,760 | $34,650–$55,660 | 1,700 |
| Wisconsin | $28,130 | $22,550–$39,080 | 2,270 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, state estimates (employees only; self-employed workers are not included); price-level adjustment uses the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (where 100 is the U.S. average; MajorPays' calculation). Wages are for an occupation in a state as a whole and vary widely by employer, experience, industry and place within the state. MajorPays selected and reorganized these figures; neither agency has approved or endorsed this presentation. See Data sources for each dataset's terms.