Cooks, Short Order Salary
Cooks, Short Orders in Williamsport, PA make a median of $25,490 a year, or about $12.25 an hour. The range runs from $17K at the entry level to $43K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 92.35), which stretches that salary to about $27,602 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,195/month, about 65.2% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $25K actually covers in Williamsport, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Williamsport’s Regional Price Parity (92.35). 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 Williamsport
Pay for cooks, short order in Williamsport runs about 29% below the U.S. median of $36K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,195/month, which is 66.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 92.35 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 8% 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 Williamsport, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Lancaster | $30K | $30K |
| Chambersburg | $28K | $30K |
| Pittsburgh | $17K | $18K |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $31K | $31K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Williamsport, PA
Entry-level cooks, short orders (10th percentile) start around $17K. Mid-career wages sit at $25K. Top earners bring in $43K or more, a $27K 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 Williamsport numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a cooks, short order afford a 2BR apartment alone in Williamsport?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $25K, rent takes 66.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,195/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $500/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 Williamsport?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, short orders typically earn — is $17K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,217/month. At HUD’s $1,195/month FMR, rent would take 98% 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 Williamsport?
Local pay runs 29% below the national median — $25K here vs. $36K nationally. Cost of living is 8% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Williamsport compare to the national average for cooks, short orders?
Williamsport pays $25K median vs. the U.S. average of $36K — that’s -29%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 92.35), the purchasing-power equivalent is $28K — below the national median.
How much do cooks, short orders make in Williamsport, PA?
The median is $25,490 a year, that works out to about $12 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $16,530, and experienced cooks, short orders can clear $43,230. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $25K enough to live in Williamsport?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $1,809/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,195/month, which eats 66.1% 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 Williamsport?
Williamsport has a Regional Price Parity of 92.35 (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 $27,602 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.