Cooks, Fast Food Salary
Cooks, Fast Foods in Lexington Park, MD make a median of $31,840 a year, or about $15.31 an hour. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $37K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 100.76), that's roughly $31,600 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,833/month, about 83.4% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $32K get you in Lexington Park?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Lexington Park’s Regional Price Parity (100.76). 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.
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What this looks like in Lexington Park
Cooks, fast food pay in Lexington Park tracks closely to the national median, $32K locally vs. $31K nationwide, a 3% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,833/month, which is 83.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 100.76) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for cooks, fast foods in metros near Lexington Park, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson | $33K | $32K |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg | $28K | $29K |
| 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, Lexington Park, MD
Entry-level cooks, fast foods (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $32K. Top earners bring in $37K or more, a $6K 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
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Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, fast food afford a 2BR apartment alone in Lexington Park?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $32K, rent takes 83.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,833/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $700/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 Lexington Park?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, fast foods typically earn — is $31K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,872/month. At HUD’s $1,833/month FMR, rent would take 98% 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 Lexington Park?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $32K locally vs. $31K nationally, a 3% difference.
How does Lexington Park compare to the national average for cooks, fast foods?
Lexington Park pays $32K median vs. the U.S. average of $31K — that’s +3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 100.76), the purchasing-power equivalent is $32K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do cooks, fast foods make in Lexington Park, MD?
The median is $31,840 a year, that works out to about $15 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,200, and experienced cooks, fast foods can clear $36,850. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $32K enough to live in Lexington Park?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,190/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,833/month, which eats 83.7% 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 Lexington Park?
Lexington Park has a Regional Price Parity of 100.76 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median cooks, fast food salary is worth about $31,600 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.