Cooks, All Other Salary
Cooks, All Others in Montana make a median of $42,640 a year, or about $20.5 an hour. The range runs from $32K at the entry level to $51K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97), that's roughly $43,959 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,129/month, about 38.8% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. This is an aggregate across all of Montana. BLS does not publish metro-level data for this occupation in this state.
So what does $43K get you in Montana?
About cooks, all others
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What this looks like in Montana
Montana sits well above the national pay line for cooks, all other, local pay runs about 13% higher than the U.S. median of $38K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,129/month, which is 38.8% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 97) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Montana
Entry-level cooks, all others (10th percentile) start around $32K. Mid-career wages sit at $43K. Top earners bring in $51K or more, a $19K spread from bottom to top.
Compare to other states
Track cooks, all other salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Montana numbers change.
Related careers in Food Service
Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, all other afford a 2BR apartment alone in Montana?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $43K, rent takes 38.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,129/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for cooks, all others in Montana?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, all others typically earn — is $32K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,896/month. At HUD’s $1,129/month FMR, rent would take 60% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is cooks, all other a high-paying job in Montana?
Local pay is 13% above the national median — $43K here vs. $38K nationally.
How does Montana compare to the national average for cooks, all others?
Montana pays $43K median vs. the U.S. average of $38K — that’s +13%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97), the purchasing-power equivalent is $44K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do cooks, all others make in Montana?
The median is $42,640 a year, that works out to about $21 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,600, and experienced cooks, all others can clear $50,670. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $43K enough to live in Montana?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,908/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,129/month, which eats 38.8% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a cooks, all other salary go in Montana?
Montana has a Regional Price Parity of 97 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median cooks, all other salary is worth about $43,959 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do cooks, all others get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.