Cooks, Short Order Salary
Cooks, Short Orders in Topeka, KS make a median of $29,180 a year, or about $14.03 an hour. The range runs from $25K at the entry level to $66K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 88.82), which stretches that salary to about $32,853 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,057/month, about 51.2% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $29K get you in Topeka?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Topeka’s Regional Price Parity (88.82). 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 Topeka
Pay for cooks, short order in Topeka runs about 19% below the U.S. median of $36K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,057/month, which is 51.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 88.82 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 11% 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 Topeka, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Wichita | $28K | $32K |
| Manhattan | $28K | $31K |
| Oklahoma City | $36K | $40K |
| Columbia | $35K | $39K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Topeka, KS
Entry-level cooks, short orders (10th percentile) start around $25K. Mid-career wages sit at $29K. Top earners bring in $66K or more, a $41K 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 |
| Colorado | $42K | +18% | 1,900 |
| Connecticut | $42K | +18% | N/A |
| District of Columbia | $42K | +18% | 1,910 |
| 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 with published data
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 Topeka numbers change.
Related careers in Food Service
Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, short order afford a 2BR apartment alone in Topeka?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $29K, rent takes 51.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,057/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $600/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 Topeka?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, short orders typically earn — is $25K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,495/month. At HUD’s $1,057/month FMR, rent would take 71% 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 Topeka?
Local pay runs 19% below the national median — $29K here vs. $36K nationally. Cost of living is 11% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Topeka compare to the national average for cooks, short orders?
Topeka pays $29K median vs. the U.S. average of $36K — that’s -19%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 88.82), the purchasing-power equivalent is $33K — below the national median.
How much do cooks, short orders make in Topeka, KS?
The median is $29,180 a year, that works out to about $14 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $24,910, and experienced cooks, short orders can clear $65,890. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $29K enough to live in Topeka?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,038/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,057/month, which eats 51.9% 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 Topeka?
Topeka has a Regional Price Parity of 88.82 (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 $32,853 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.