Cooks, Fast Food Salary
Cooks, Fast Foods in South Dakota make a median of $30,950 a year, or about $14.88 an hour. The range runs from $25K at the entry level to $35K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 89.89), which stretches that salary to about $34,431 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,017/month, about 45.7% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across South Dakota. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $31K get you in South Dakota?
About cooks, fast foods
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What this looks like in South Dakota
Cooks, fast food pay in South Dakota tracks closely to the national median, $31K locally vs. $31K nationwide, a 0% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,017/month, which is 45.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 89.89 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 10% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, South Dakota
Entry-level cooks, fast foods (10th percentile) start around $25K. Mid-career wages sit at $31K. Top earners bring in $35K or more, a $10K spread from bottom to top.
Cooks, Fast Food salary by metro in South Dakota
2 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux Falls | $33K | +7% | 740 |
| Rapid City | $31K | +1% | 320 |
Compare to other states
Track cooks, fast food salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when South Dakota numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, fast food afford a 2BR apartment alone in South Dakota?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $31K, rent takes 45.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,017/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 South Dakota?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, fast foods typically earn — is $25K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,525/month. At HUD’s $1,017/month FMR, rent would take 67% 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 South Dakota?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $31K locally vs. $31K nationally, a 0% difference.
How does South Dakota compare to the national average for cooks, fast foods?
South Dakota pays $31K median vs. the U.S. average of $31K — that’s +0%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 89.89), the purchasing-power equivalent is $34K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do cooks, fast foods make in South Dakota?
The median is $30,950 a year, that works out to about $15 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $25,410, and experienced cooks, fast foods can clear $34,910. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $31K enough to live in South Dakota?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,242/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,017/month, which eats 45.4% 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 South Dakota?
South Dakota has a Regional Price Parity of 89.89 (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 $34,431 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.