Cooks, Fast Food Salary
Cooks, Fast Foods in Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV make a median of $27,620 a year, or about $13.28 an hour. The range runs from $23K at the entry level to $35K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 94.17), which stretches that salary to about $29,330 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,233/month, about 62.4% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $28K get you in Hagerstown-Martinsburg?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Hagerstown-Martinsburg’s Regional Price Parity (94.17). 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 Hagerstown-Martinsburg
Pay for cooks, fast food in Hagerstown-Martinsburg runs about 11% below the U.S. median of $31K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,233/month, which is 64.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 94.17 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 6% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for cooks, fast foods.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for cooks, fast foods in metros near Hagerstown-Martinsburg, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson | $33K | $32K |
| Lexington Park | $32K | $32K |
| Salisbury | $31K | $33K |
| Roanoke | $29K | $31K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV
Entry-level cooks, fast foods (10th percentile) start around $23K. Mid-career wages sit at $28K. Top earners bring in $35K or more, a $12K 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
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Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, fast food afford a 2BR apartment alone in Hagerstown-Martinsburg?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $28K, rent takes 64.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,233/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $600/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 Hagerstown-Martinsburg?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, fast foods typically earn — is $23K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,382/month. At HUD’s $1,233/month FMR, rent would take 89% 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 Hagerstown-Martinsburg?
Local pay runs 11% below the national median — $28K here vs. $31K nationally. Cost of living is 6% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Hagerstown-Martinsburg compare to the national average for cooks, fast foods?
Hagerstown-Martinsburg pays $28K median vs. the U.S. average of $31K — that’s -11%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.17), the purchasing-power equivalent is $29K — below the national median.
How much do cooks, fast foods make in Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV?
The median is $27,620 a year, that works out to about $13 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $23,030, and experienced cooks, fast foods can clear $35,310. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $28K enough to live in Hagerstown-Martinsburg?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $1,925/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,233/month, which eats 64.1% 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 Hagerstown-Martinsburg?
Hagerstown-Martinsburg has a Regional Price Parity of 94.17 (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 $29,330 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.