Cooks, Fast Food Salary
Cooks, Fast Foods in La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN make a median of $28,590 a year, or about $13.74 an hour. The range runs from $23K at the entry level to $34K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 91.77), which stretches that salary to about $31,154 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,166/month, about 57.7% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $29K get you in La Crosse-Onalaska?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by La Crosse-Onalaska’s Regional Price Parity (91.77). 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 La Crosse-Onalaska
Cooks, fast food pay in La Crosse-Onalaska tracks closely to the national median, $29K locally vs. $31K nationwide, a 7% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,166/month, which is 57.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 91.77 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 8% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for cooks, fast foods in metros near La Crosse-Onalaska, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee-Waukesha | $29K | $30K |
| Madison | $30K | $30K |
| Green Bay | $29K | $31K |
| Appleton | $29K | $31K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN
Entry-level cooks, fast foods (10th percentile) start around $23K. Mid-career wages sit at $29K. Top earners bring in $34K 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 states
Track cooks, fast food salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when La Crosse-Onalaska numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, fast food afford a 2BR apartment alone in La Crosse-Onalaska?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $29K, rent takes 57.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,166/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 La Crosse-Onalaska?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, fast foods typically earn — is $23K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,403/month. At HUD’s $1,166/month FMR, rent would take 83% 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 La Crosse-Onalaska?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $29K locally vs. $31K nationally, a 7% difference.
How does La Crosse-Onalaska compare to the national average for cooks, fast foods?
La Crosse-Onalaska pays $29K median vs. the U.S. average of $31K — that’s -7%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 91.77), the purchasing-power equivalent is $31K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do cooks, fast foods make in La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN?
The median is $28,590 a year, that works out to about $14 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $23,380, and experienced cooks, fast foods can clear $34,150. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $29K enough to live in La Crosse-Onalaska?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,038/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,166/month, which eats 57.2% 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 La Crosse-Onalaska?
La Crosse-Onalaska has a Regional Price Parity of 91.77 (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 $31,154 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.