Cooks, Fast Food Salary
Cooks, Fast Foods in Napa, CA make a median of $45,300 a year, or about $21.78 an hour. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $47K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 112.55), so that salary is closer to $40,249 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,773/month, about 88.7% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $45K get you in Napa?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Napa’s Regional Price Parity (112.55). 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 Napa
Napa sits well above the national pay line for cooks, fast food, local pay runs about 47% 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 $2,773/month, which is 88.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 13% above the national average (BEA RPP 112.55), so groceries and services cost more too. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for cooks, fast foods in metros near Napa, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $38K | $33K |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $42K | $40K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $42K | $38K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $47K | $40K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Napa, CA
Entry-level cooks, fast foods (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $45K. Top earners bring in $47K or more, a $9K 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 Napa?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $45K, rent takes 88.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,773/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/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 Napa?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, fast foods typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,245/month. At HUD’s $2,773/month FMR, rent would take 124% 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 Napa?
Local pay is 47% above the national median — $45K here vs. $31K nationally. Keep in mind cost of living here is 13% above the national average, which offsets some of that premium.
How does Napa compare to the national average for cooks, fast foods?
Napa pays $45K median vs. the U.S. average of $31K — that’s +47%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 112.55), the purchasing-power equivalent is $40K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do cooks, fast foods make in Napa, CA?
The median is $45,300 a year, that works out to about $22 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $37,420, and experienced cooks, fast foods can clear $46,560. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $45K enough to live in Napa?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,119/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,773/month, which eats 88.9% 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 Napa?
Napa has a Regional Price Parity of 112.55 (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 $40,249 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.