Cooks, Fast Food Salary
Cooks, Fast Foods in Missoula, MT make a median of $39,080 a year, or about $18.79 an hour. The range runs from $22K at the entry level to $50K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 96.44), that's roughly $40,523 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,361/month, about 51.1% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $39K actually covers in Missoula, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Missoula’s Regional Price Parity (96.44). 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 Missoula
Missoula sits well above the national pay line for cooks, fast food, local pay runs about 27% 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 $1,361/month, which is 50.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 96.44) 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 Missoula, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Bozeman | $29K | $28K |
| Sioux Falls | $33K | $36K |
| Boise City | $33K | $33K |
| Rapid City | $31K | $35K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Missoula, MT
Entry-level cooks, fast foods (10th percentile) start around $22K. Mid-career wages sit at $39K. Top earners bring in $50K or more, a $27K 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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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a cooks, fast food afford a 2BR apartment alone in Missoula?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $39K, rent takes 50.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,361/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 Missoula?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, fast foods typically earn — is $22K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,629/month. At HUD’s $1,361/month FMR, rent would take 84% 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 Missoula?
Local pay is 27% above the national median — $39K here vs. $31K nationally.
How does Missoula compare to the national average for cooks, fast foods?
Missoula pays $39K median vs. the U.S. average of $31K — that’s +27%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 96.44), the purchasing-power equivalent is $41K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do cooks, fast foods make in Missoula, MT?
The median is $39,080 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $22,360, and experienced cooks, fast foods can clear $49,540. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $39K enough to live in Missoula?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,687/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,361/month, which eats 50.7% 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 Missoula?
Missoula has a Regional Price Parity of 96.44 (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 $40,523 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.