Cooks, Short Order Salary
Cooks, Short Orders in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA make a median of $33,520 a year, or about $16.12 an hour. The range runs from $26K at the entry level to $48K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 87.06), which stretches that salary to about $38,502 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,051/month, about 46% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $34K get you in Waterloo-Cedar Falls?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Waterloo-Cedar Falls’s Regional Price Parity (87.06). 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
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What this looks like in Waterloo-Cedar Falls
Cooks, short order pay in Waterloo-Cedar Falls tracks closely to the national median, $34K locally vs. $36K nationwide, a 7% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,051/month, which is 45.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 87.06 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 13% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for cooks, short orders in metros near Waterloo-Cedar Falls, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Des Moines-West Des Moines | $37K | $40K |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island | $33K | $37K |
| Cedar Rapids | $33K | $37K |
| Sioux City | $34K | $39K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
Entry-level cooks, short orders (10th percentile) start around $26K. Mid-career wages sit at $34K. Top earners bring in $48K or more, a $22K 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, short order afford a 2BR apartment alone in Waterloo-Cedar Falls?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $34K, rent takes 45.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,051/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, short orders in Waterloo-Cedar Falls?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, short orders typically earn — is $26K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,536/month. At HUD’s $1,051/month FMR, rent would take 68% 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $34K locally vs. $36K nationally, a 7% difference.
How does Waterloo-Cedar Falls compare to the national average for cooks, short orders?
Waterloo-Cedar Falls pays $34K median vs. the U.S. average of $36K — that’s -7%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 87.06), the purchasing-power equivalent is $39K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do cooks, short orders make in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?
The median is $33,520 a year, that works out to about $16 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $25,600, and experienced cooks, short orders can clear $47,990. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $34K enough to live in Waterloo-Cedar Falls?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,291/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,051/month, which eats 45.9% 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls?
Waterloo-Cedar Falls has a Regional Price Parity of 87.06 (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 $38,502 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.