Cooks, Short Order Salary
Cooks, Short Orders in Idaho make a median of $40,090 a year, or about $19.28 an hour. The range runs from $23K at the entry level to $61K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 93.88), which stretches that salary to about $42,703 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,136/month, about 41.5% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. This is an aggregate across all of Idaho. BLS does not publish metro-level data for this occupation in this state.
So what does $40K get you in Idaho?
About cooks, short orders
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What this looks like in Idaho
Idaho sits well above the national pay line for cooks, short order, local pay runs about 12% higher than the U.S. median of $36K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,136/month, which is 41.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 93.88 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 6% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Idaho
Entry-level cooks, short orders (10th percentile) start around $23K. Mid-career wages sit at $40K. Top earners bring in $61K or more, a $38K spread from bottom to top.
Compare to other states
Track cooks, short order salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Idaho numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, short order afford a 2BR apartment alone in Idaho?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $40K, rent takes 41.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,136/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, short orders in Idaho?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, short orders typically earn — is $23K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,388/month. At HUD’s $1,136/month FMR, rent would take 82% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is cooks, short order a high-paying job in Idaho?
Local pay is 12% above the national median — $40K here vs. $36K nationally.
How does Idaho compare to the national average for cooks, short orders?
Idaho pays $40K median vs. the U.S. average of $36K — that’s +12%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.88), the purchasing-power equivalent is $43K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do cooks, short orders make in Idaho?
The median is $40,090 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $23,130, and experienced cooks, short orders can clear $61,190. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $40K enough to live in Idaho?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,749/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,136/month, which eats 41.3% 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, short order salary go in Idaho?
Idaho has a Regional Price Parity of 93.88 (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, short order salary is worth about $42,703 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do cooks, short orders 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.