Cooks, Short Order pay range in Denver
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $42,450 a year or less, while the top 10% make $64,840 or more. The middle half of cooks, short order in Denver earn between $42,450 and $64,840.
- $42K10th
- $42K25th
- $44KMedian
- $65K75th
- $65K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $51,530 | $4,294 | $24.77 |
| Median | $44,200 | $3,683 | $21.25 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $42,450 | $3,538 | $20.41 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $64,840 | $5,403 | $31.17 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Cooks, Short Order salary after taxes in Denver
On the average salary of $51,530, a single filer in Denver takes home about $42,025 a year, or $3,502 a month and $1,616 every two weeks. Taxes take 18% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Colorado's FAMLI premium and the flat monthly occupational privilege taxes of Denver, Aurora and a few other cities are not included.
Is Denver a good place for cooks, short order? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Denver area are 6% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 105.8), so the average $51,530 buys what about $48,713 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.7 times the median wage of all jobs in Denver ($62,320). A typical home costs $573,221, or 11.1 years of this average salary before tax.
Cooks, Short Order salary in other Colorado cities
Denver ranks 1st of 3 Colorado metro areas for this job, the best-paid in the state.
- Denver$51,530
- Fort Collins$34,900
- Colorado Springs$34,320
Highest-paying cities for cooks, short order
Kahului, HI pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($52,560).
- Kahului, HI$52,560
- Denver, CO$51,530
- Seattle, WA$49,560
- Corvallis, OR$48,580
- San Francisco, CA$46,250
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Cooks, Short Order salary in Denver: questions
How much do cooks, short order make an hour in Denver?
$24.78 an hour on average, and $21.25 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level cooks, short order salary in Denver?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $42,450 a year and the 25th percentile is $42,450, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the cooks, short order take-home pay in Denver?
About $42,025 a year ($3,502 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $51,530. Colorado's FAMLI premium and the flat monthly occupational privilege taxes of Denver, Aurora and a few other cities are not included.
Do cooks, short order earn more in Denver than elsewhere?
The average here is 37% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($37,675).
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 35-2015; area Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO (19740). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 9.6%.
- 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). Colorado's FAMLI premium and the flat monthly occupational privilege taxes of Denver, Aurora and a few other cities are not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 0.70, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.70).
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