Cooks, Fast Food Salary
Cooks, Fast Foods in Parkersburg-Vienna, WV make a median of $22,780 a year, or about $10.95 an hour. The range runs from $22K at the entry level to $28K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 87.07), which stretches that salary to about $26,163 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $928/month, about 57.6% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $23K get you in Parkersburg-Vienna?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Parkersburg-Vienna’s Regional Price Parity (87.07). 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 Parkersburg-Vienna
Pay for cooks, fast food in Parkersburg-Vienna runs about 26% below the U.S. median of $31K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $928/month, which is 56.8% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 87.07 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 13% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for cooks, fast foods.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for cooks, fast foods in metros near Parkersburg-Vienna, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Huntington-Ashland | $23K | $26K |
| Charleston | $23K | $26K |
| Beckley | $22K | $25K |
| Wheeling | $23K | $26K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Parkersburg-Vienna, WV
Entry-level cooks, fast foods (10th percentile) start around $22K. Mid-career wages sit at $23K. Top earners bring in $28K 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 (all 50 states + DC)
Track cooks, fast food salary changes
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Related careers in Food Service
Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, fast food afford a 2BR apartment alone in Parkersburg-Vienna?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $23K, rent takes 56.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $928/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $500/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 Parkersburg-Vienna?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, fast foods typically earn — is $22K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,293/month. At HUD’s $928/month FMR, rent would take 72% 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 Parkersburg-Vienna?
Local pay runs 26% below the national median — $23K here vs. $31K nationally. Cost of living is 13% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Parkersburg-Vienna compare to the national average for cooks, fast foods?
Parkersburg-Vienna pays $23K median vs. the U.S. average of $31K — that’s -26%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 87.07), the purchasing-power equivalent is $26K — below the national median.
How much do cooks, fast foods make in Parkersburg-Vienna, WV?
The median is $22,780 a year, that works out to about $11 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $21,550, and experienced cooks, fast foods can clear $27,610. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $23K enough to live in Parkersburg-Vienna?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $1,635/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $928/month, which eats 56.8% 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 Parkersburg-Vienna?
Parkersburg-Vienna has a Regional Price Parity of 87.07 (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 $26,163 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.