Cooks, Short Order Salary
Cooks, Short Orders in Pittsburgh, PA make a median of $17,150 a year, or about $8.24 an hour. The range runs from $17K at the entry level to $29K for experienced workers.
So what does $17K get you in Pittsburgh?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Pittsburgh’s Regional Price Parity (94.7). 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, short orders
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Pittsburgh
Pay for cooks, short order in Pittsburgh runs about 52% below the U.S. median of $36K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,299/month, which is 103.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 94.7 (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.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for cooks, short orders in metros near Pittsburgh, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Lancaster | $30K | , |
| Chambersburg | $28K | , |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $31K | , |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton | $32K | , |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Pittsburgh, PA
Entry-level cooks, short orders (10th percentile) start around $17K. Mid-career wages sit at $17K. Top earners bring in $29K or more, a $12K spread from bottom to top.
Cooks, Short Order pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Cooks, Short Order salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $47K | +30% | 1,880 |
| Rhode Island | $46K | +29% | N/A |
| Massachusetts | $44K | +23% | 4,760 |
| Hawaii | $43K | +20% | 460 |
| California | $43K | +20% | 30,740 |
| Washington | $43K | +19% | 1,700 |
| District of Columbia | $42K | +18% | 1,910 |
| Colorado | $42K | +18% | 1,900 |
| Connecticut | $42K | +18% | N/A |
| New Jersey | $41K | +13% | 850 |
| Idaho | $40K | +12% | 120 |
| Vermont | $39K | +8% | 670 |
| Oregon | $39K | +7% | 1,780 |
| Delaware | $39K | +7% | N/A |
| Missouri | $38K | +7% | N/A |
| Utah | $38K | +6% | 320 |
| Alaska | $38K | +5% | 330 |
| Nevada | $38K | +5% | 790 |
| Illinois | $37K | +4% | 2,630 |
| New Mexico | $37K | +4% | 750 |
| Maryland | $37K | +3% | 3,250 |
| New York | $36K | -1% | 18,300 |
| Maine | $35K | -1% | 1,120 |
| Oklahoma | $35K | -2% | 760 |
| Michigan | $35K | -4% | 2,560 |
| Florida | $34K | -5% | 5,050 |
| Iowa | $34K | -5% | 1,160 |
| Montana | $33K | -7% | N/A |
| South Dakota | $32K | -10% | 2,000 |
| New Hampshire | $32K | -10% | 2,320 |
| Minnesota | $32K | -10% | 870 |
| Kentucky | $32K | -11% | 650 |
| North Carolina | $31K | -13% | 3,170 |
| Virginia | $31K | -13% | 3,350 |
| Nebraska | $31K | -15% | 1,810 |
| Arkansas | $31K | -15% | 160 |
| Tennessee | $30K | -16% | 2,510 |
| South Carolina | $30K | -17% | 900 |
| Ohio | $29K | -18% | 6,000 |
| Mississippi | $28K | -21% | 1,890 |
| Wisconsin | $28K | -22% | 2,270 |
| West Virginia | $27K | -24% | 620 |
| Kansas | $27K | -24% | 640 |
| Georgia | $27K | -25% | 3,870 |
| Louisiana | $26K | -27% | 1,990 |
| Texas | $25K | -29% | 7,540 |
| Alabama | $22K | -38% | N/A |
| Indiana | $22K | -39% | 2,940 |
| Pennsylvania | $20K | -45% | 3,510 |
Showing 1–10 of 49 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track cooks, short order salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Pittsburgh numbers change.
Related careers in Food Service
Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, short order afford a 2BR apartment alone in Pittsburgh?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $17K, rent takes 103.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,299/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 Pittsburgh?
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 $1,299/month FMR, rent would take 126% 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 Pittsburgh?
Local pay runs 52% below the national median — $17K here vs. $36K nationally. Cost of living is 5% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Pittsburgh compare to the national average for cooks, short orders?
Pittsburgh pays $17K median vs. the U.S. average of $36K — that’s -52%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.7), the purchasing-power equivalent is $18K — below the national median.
How much do cooks, short orders make in Pittsburgh, PA?
The median is $17,150 a year, that works out to about $8 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $17,150, and experienced cooks, short orders can clear $28,760. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $17K enough to live in Pittsburgh?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $1,258/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,299/month, which eats 103.3% 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 Pittsburgh?
Pittsburgh has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median cooks, short order salary is worth about $18,110 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.