Cooks, Fast Food Salary
Cooks, Fast Foods in Redding, CA make a median of $39,920 a year, or about $19.19 an hour. The range runs from $36K at the entry level to $43K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 100.68), that's roughly $39,650 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,590/month, about 57.7% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $40K actually covers in Redding, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Redding’s Regional Price Parity (100.68). 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 Redding
Redding sits well above the national pay line for cooks, fast food, local pay runs about 29% 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 $1,590/month, which is 57.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 100.68) 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 Redding, 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, Redding, CA
Entry-level cooks, fast foods (10th percentile) start around $36K. Mid-career wages sit at $40K. Top earners bring in $43K or more, a $7K 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 Redding?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $40K, rent takes 57.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,590/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 Redding?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, fast foods typically earn — is $36K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,520/month. At HUD’s $1,590/month FMR, rent would take 63% 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 Redding?
Local pay is 29% above the national median — $40K here vs. $31K nationally.
How does Redding compare to the national average for cooks, fast foods?
Redding pays $40K median vs. the U.S. average of $31K — that’s +29%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 100.68), the purchasing-power equivalent is $40K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do cooks, fast foods make in Redding, CA?
The median is $39,920 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $35,860, and experienced cooks, fast foods can clear $42,970. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $40K enough to live in Redding?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,778/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,590/month, which eats 57.2% 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 Redding?
Redding has a Regional Price Parity of 100.68 (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 $39,650 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.