Cooks, Short Order Salary
Cooks, Short Orders in Pennsylvania make a median of $19,910 a year, or about $9.57 an hour. The range runs from $17K at the entry level to $40K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 94.97), which stretches that salary to about $20,965 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,351/month, about 94.3% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Pennsylvania. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $20K get you in Pennsylvania?
About cooks, short orders
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What this looks like in Pennsylvania
Pay for cooks, short order in Pennsylvania runs about 45% below the U.S. median of $36K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,351/month, which is 93.8% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 94.97 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 5% 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, short orders.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Pennsylvania
Entry-level cooks, short orders (10th percentile) start around $17K. Mid-career wages sit at $20K. Top earners bring in $40K or more, a $23K spread from bottom to top.
Cooks, Short Order salary by metro in Pennsylvania
10 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton | $32K | +60% | 160 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $31K | +58% | 1,340 |
| Lancaster | $30K | +49% | N/A |
| Harrisburg-Carlisle | $29K | +46% | 130 |
| Chambersburg | $28K | +42% | N/A |
| Scranton--Wilkes-Barre | $28K | +42% | 120 |
| Williamsport | $25K | +28% | 50 |
| Erie | $22K | +13% | 70 |
| York-Hanover | $22K | +11% | 120 |
| Pittsburgh | $17K | -14% | N/A |
Compare to other states
Track cooks, short order salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Pennsylvania numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, short order afford a 2BR apartment alone in Pennsylvania?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $20K, rent takes 93.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,351/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $400/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 Pennsylvania?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, short orders typically earn — is $17K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,029/month. At HUD’s $1,351/month FMR, rent would take 131% 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 Pennsylvania?
Local pay runs 45% below the national median — $20K here vs. $36K nationally. Cost of living is 5% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Pennsylvania compare to the national average for cooks, short orders?
Pennsylvania pays $20K median vs. the U.S. average of $36K — that’s -45%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.97), the purchasing-power equivalent is $21K — below the national median.
How much do cooks, short orders make in Pennsylvania?
The median is $19,910 a year, that works out to about $10 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $17,150, and experienced cooks, short orders can clear $40,460. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $20K enough to live in Pennsylvania?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $1,440/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,351/month, which eats 93.8% 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, short order salary go in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania has a Regional Price Parity of 94.97 (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 $20,965 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.