Cooks, Fast Food salary · North Carolina

Cooks, Fast Food Salary in North Carolina

Cooks, Fast Food in North Carolina earn a median of $27,190 a year, which is $13.07 an hour. That is $3,700 below the national median of $30,890, a difference of 12 percent. The state employs 81,980.

Median in North Carolina $27,190 $13.07 an hour · May 2025
US median $30,890
Jobs in North Carolina 81,980

North Carolina against the US May 2025

Cooks, Fast Food in North Carolina against the US, May 2025
FigureNorth CarolinaUnited States
Median annual $27,190 $30,890
Median hourly$13.07$14.85
Mean annual$27,080$32,390
10th percentile$21,890$22,580
90th percentile$34,860$42,910
Employment81,980641,070

How North Carolina compares

By median pay, North Carolina ranks 9 of the 12 states this site reports for cooks, fast food. Ranking is on the published median only. It says nothing about how far that salary goes once housing, state income tax and commuting are paid, and those differences between states are frequently larger than the pay gap itself.

Other states for cooks, fast food May 2025

StateMedianHourlyJobs
California $42,050 $20.21 124,440
Illinois $34,960 $16.81 13,430
Florida $29,900 $14.37 22,600
Missouri $29,890 $14.37 55,780
Michigan $29,460 $14.17 14,340
Tennessee $28,330 $13.62 14,020
Texas $28,280 $13.60 36,240
Alabama $27,870 $13.40 26,740
Georgia $26,940 $12.95 12,940
Kentucky $23,500 $11.30 21,750
West Virginia $23,120 $11.12 16,490

Common questions

How much do cooks, fast food make in North Carolina?

The median salary for cooks, fast food in North Carolina is $27,190 a year, or $13.07 an hour. That is $3,700 below the national median of $30,890, a difference of 12 percent. North Carolina employs 81,980 of them.

Is North Carolina a good state to work as a cooks, fast food?

On pay alone, North Carolina ranks 9 of the 12 states this site reports for the occupation, by median salary. Pay is only half the question though: a state with a higher median can still leave you with less once housing and taxes are counted, and this site does not adjust for cost of living.

What is the pay range for cooks, fast food in North Carolina?

The lowest-paid 10 percent earn $21,890 or less and the highest-paid 10 percent earn $34,860 or more. The middle half falls between $22,740 and $29,190.

Where these numbers come from

Published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 release, for SOC code 35-2011 in North Carolina. Nothing on this page is interpolated or averaged by this site. See the national cooks, fast food salary page for the full picture, or how to read these figures for what the survey covers.