Cooks, Fast Food Salary
Cooks, Fast Foods in Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ make a median of $36,350 a year, or about $17.48 an hour. The range runs from $32K at the entry level to $43K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.86), that's roughly $36,769 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,792/month, about 71.4% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $36K get you in Atlantic City-Hammonton?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Atlantic City-Hammonton’s Regional Price Parity (98.86). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About cooks, fast foods
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What this looks like in Atlantic City-Hammonton
Atlantic City-Hammonton sits well above the national pay line for cooks, fast food, local pay runs about 18% higher than the U.S. median of $31K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,792/month, which is 70.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.86) 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.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for cooks, fast foods in metros near Atlantic City-Hammonton, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | $36K | $32K |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $32K | $31K |
| Pittsburgh | $27K | $28K |
| Rochester | $33K | $34K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ
Entry-level cooks, fast foods (10th percentile) start around $32K. Mid-career wages sit at $36K. Top earners bring in $43K or more, a $11K spread from bottom to top.
Cooks, Fast Food pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Cooks, Fast Food salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $48K | +56% | N/A |
| District of Columbia | $45K | +45% | 2,760 |
| California | $42K | +36% | 124,440 |
| Washington | $39K | +27% | 9,020 |
| New Hampshire | $39K | +25% | 1,330 |
| Vermont | $38K | +24% | 640 |
| Oregon | $38K | +23% | 4,300 |
| Massachusetts | $38K | +23% | N/A |
| Colorado | $37K | +19% | 9,220 |
| Maine | $36K | +18% | 1,470 |
| New York | $36K | +16% | 11,710 |
| Rhode Island | $35K | +14% | 1,210 |
| Connecticut | $35K | +13% | 3,630 |
| Illinois | $35K | +13% | 13,430 |
| Minnesota | $34K | +10% | 5,190 |
| Alaska | $34K | +10% | 2,250 |
| Nevada | $34K | +10% | 5,890 |
| Maryland | $33K | +8% | 10,960 |
| Arizona | $33K | +6% | 11,210 |
| New Jersey | $32K | +4% | 3,440 |
| Delaware | $32K | +3% | 850 |
| Utah | $32K | +3% | 4,400 |
| Idaho | $31K | +1% | 1,610 |
| South Dakota | $31K | +0% | 1,720 |
| Nebraska | $30K | -1% | 2,900 |
| North Dakota | $30K | -2% | 580 |
| New Mexico | $30K | -2% | 1,800 |
| Virginia | $30K | -3% | 12,520 |
| Florida | $30K | -3% | 22,600 |
| Missouri | $30K | -3% | 55,780 |
| Indiana | $30K | -3% | 6,830 |
| Michigan | $29K | -5% | 14,340 |
| Wyoming | $29K | -6% | 890 |
| Wisconsin | $29K | -6% | 6,900 |
| Pennsylvania | $29K | -7% | 9,240 |
| Kansas | $29K | -7% | 1,610 |
| Iowa | $29K | -8% | 8,290 |
| Tennessee | $28K | -8% | 14,020 |
| Texas | $28K | -8% | 36,240 |
| Alabama | $28K | -10% | 26,740 |
| Oklahoma | $28K | -10% | 8,860 |
| Arkansas | $28K | -10% | 7,860 |
| South Carolina | $27K | -11% | 9,110 |
| North Carolina | $27K | -12% | 81,980 |
| Georgia | $27K | -13% | 12,940 |
| Ohio | $27K | -13% | 12,310 |
| Montana | $27K | -13% | 820 |
| Louisiana | $25K | -19% | 3,000 |
| Kentucky | $24K | -24% | 21,750 |
| West Virginia | $23K | -25% | 16,490 |
| Mississippi | $23K | -27% | 11,170 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track cooks, fast food salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Atlantic City-Hammonton numbers change.
Related careers in Food Service
Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, fast food afford a 2BR apartment alone in Atlantic City-Hammonton?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $36K, rent takes 70.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,792/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for cooks, fast foods in Atlantic City-Hammonton?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, fast foods typically earn — is $32K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,933/month. At HUD’s $1,792/month FMR, rent would take 93% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is cooks, fast food a high-paying job in Atlantic City-Hammonton?
Local pay is 18% above the national median — $36K here vs. $31K nationally.
How does Atlantic City-Hammonton compare to the national average for cooks, fast foods?
Atlantic City-Hammonton pays $36K median vs. the U.S. average of $31K — that’s +18%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.86), the purchasing-power equivalent is $37K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do cooks, fast foods make in Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ?
The median is $36,350 a year, that works out to about $17 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $32,220, and experienced cooks, fast foods can clear $42,860. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $36K enough to live in Atlantic City-Hammonton?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,555/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,792/month, which eats 70.1% 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, fast food salary go in Atlantic City-Hammonton?
Atlantic City-Hammonton has a Regional Price Parity of 98.86 (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, fast food salary is worth about $36,769 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do cooks, fast foods 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.