Cooks, Fast Food Salary
Cooks, Fast Foods in New York make a median of $35,770 a year, or about $17.2 an hour. The range runs from $33K at the entry level to $40K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.21), that's roughly $36,422 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,917/month, about 77.6% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across New York. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $36K get you in New York?
About cooks, fast foods
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What this looks like in New York
New York sits well above the national pay line for cooks, fast food, local pay runs about 16% 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 $1,917/month, which is 78.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.21) 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.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, New York
Entry-level cooks, fast foods (10th percentile) start around $33K. Mid-career wages sit at $36K. Top earners bring in $40K or more, a $7K spread from bottom to top.
Cooks, Fast Food salary by metro in New York
9 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston | $37K | +4% | 40 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | $36K | +0% | 10,410 |
| Glens Falls | $35K | -1% | 40 |
| Syracuse | $34K | -4% | 330 |
| Binghamton | $34K | -4% | 70 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga | $34K | -6% | 600 |
| Rochester | $33K | -7% | 920 |
| Utica-Rome | $33K | -7% | 150 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy | $32K | -10% | 560 |
Compare to other states
Track cooks, fast food salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when New York numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, fast food afford a 2BR apartment alone in New York?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $36K, rent takes 78.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,917/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 New York?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, fast foods typically earn — is $33K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,966/month. At HUD’s $1,917/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 New York?
Local pay is 16% above the national median — $36K here vs. $31K nationally.
How does New York compare to the national average for cooks, fast foods?
New York pays $36K median vs. the U.S. average of $31K — that’s +16%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.21), the purchasing-power equivalent is $36K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do cooks, fast foods make in New York?
The median is $35,770 a year, that works out to about $17 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $32,770, and experienced cooks, fast foods can clear $40,250. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $36K enough to live in New York?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,451/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,917/month, which eats 78.2% 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 New York?
New York has a Regional Price Parity of 98.21 (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 $36,422 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.