Cooks, Short Order pay range in Durham
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $29,640 a year or less, while the top 10% make $45,670 or more. The middle half of cooks, short order in Durham earn between $31,600 and $38,010.
- $30K10th
- $32K25th
- $35KMedian
- $38K75th
- $46K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $36,220 | $3,018 | $17.41 |
| Median | $35,040 | $2,920 | $16.85 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $31,600 | $2,633 | $15.19 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $38,010 | $3,168 | $18.27 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Cooks, Short Order salary after taxes in Durham
On the average salary of $36,220, a single filer in Durham takes home about $30,346 a year, or $2,529 a month and $1,167 every two weeks. Taxes take 16% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules).
Is Durham a good place for cooks, short order? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Durham area are 2% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 97.6), so the average $36,220 buys what about $37,121 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.6 times the median wage of all jobs in Durham ($60,720). A typical home costs $414,340, or 11.4 years of this average salary before tax.
Cooks, Short Order salary in other North Carolina cities
Durham ranks 1st of 7 North Carolina metro areas for this job, the best-paid in the state.
- Durham$36,220
- Charlotte$34,580
- Raleigh$31,590
- Wilmington$30,790
- Winston-Salem$30,550
- Greensboro$29,980
- Hickory$29,310
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 Durham: questions
How much do cooks, short order make an hour in Durham?
$17.41 an hour on average, and $16.85 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level cooks, short order salary in Durham?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $29,640 a year and the 25th percentile is $31,600, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the cooks, short order take-home pay in Durham?
About $30,346 a year ($2,529 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $36,220.
Do cooks, short order earn more in Durham than elsewhere?
The average here is 4% less 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 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC (20500). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 3.2%.
- 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 0.49, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.49).
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