Cooks, Fast Food pay range in Raleigh
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $22,590 a year or less, while the top 10% make $34,220 or more. The middle half of cooks, fast food in Raleigh earn between $24,180 and $29,630.
- $23K10th
- $24K25th
- $28KMedian
- $30K75th
- $34K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $28,070 | $2,339 | $13.50 |
| Median | $28,220 | $2,352 | $13.57 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $24,180 | $2,015 | $11.62 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $29,630 | $2,469 | $14.25 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Cooks, Fast Food salary after taxes in Raleigh
On the average salary of $28,070, a single filer in Raleigh takes home about $24,114 a year, or $2,010 a month and $927 every two weeks. Taxes take 14% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules).
Is Raleigh a good place for cooks, fast food? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Raleigh area are 2% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 98.2), so the average $28,070 buys what about $28,597 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.5 times the median wage of all jobs in Raleigh ($51,990). A typical home costs $438,364, or 15.6 years of this average salary before tax.
Cooks, Fast Food salary in other North Carolina cities
Raleigh ranks 3rd of 15 North Carolina metro areas for this job; Durham pays the most ($29,290).
- Durham$29,290
- Charlotte$28,720
- Raleigh$28,070
- Asheville$28,010
- Winston-Salem$27,190
- Greensboro$27,020
- Hickory$26,810
- Burlington$26,770
- Wilmington$26,470
- Pinehurst$26,140
Highest-paying cities for cooks, fast food
San Francisco, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($46,590).
- San Francisco, CA$46,590
- San Jose, CA$46,530
- Vallejo, CA$44,360
- Napa, CA$43,910
- Seattle, WA$43,770
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Cooks, Fast Food salary in Raleigh: questions
How much do cooks, fast food make an hour in Raleigh?
$13.50 an hour on average, and $13.57 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level cooks, fast food salary in Raleigh?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $22,590 a year and the 25th percentile is $24,180, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the cooks, fast food take-home pay in Raleigh?
About $24,114 a year ($2,010 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $28,070.
Do cooks, fast food earn more in Raleigh than elsewhere?
The average here is 16% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($33,261).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 35-2011; area Raleigh-Cary, NC (39580). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.6%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules).
- Job concentration: location quotient 3.76, this job is 3.8 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.
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