Short Order Cooks Salary in U.S.

The salary statistics of short order cooks are shown in Table 1. In the next few tables we compare the average salaries of short order cooks within different industry sectors and in the 50 states of the United States. The short order cooks annual salary statistics are from the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].

Table 1. Short Order Cooks Salary in U.S. (2022 survey)

Percentile BracketAverage Annual Salary
10th Percentile Wage
$21,510
25th Percentile Wage
$25,330
50th Percentile Wage
$30,360
75th Percentile Wage
$35,170
90th Percentile Wage
$40,110

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for short order cooks. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) short order cooks is $40,110. The median annual salary (50th percentile) is $30,360. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $21,510. It is noted that in the United States, the annual salary of the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is almost 86% higher than that of the bottom 10 percent.

Median salary trend (2012 to 2022)

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of short order cooks from 2012 to 2022.

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth10-Year Growth
2022
$30,360
5.93% 35.01%
2021
$28,560
6.97% -
2020
$26,570
5.34% -
2019
$25,150
5.37% -
2018
$23,800
4.45% -
2017
$22,740
3.74% -
2016
$21,890
5.07% -
2015
$20,780
2.84% -
2014
$20,190
2.03% -
2013
$19,780
0.25% -
2012
$19,730
- -

Table 2. Short Order Cooks Salary by Industry Sector (2022 survey)

The average salaries of short order cooks in 16 major industry sectors are shown in Table 2. We note that the salaries vary considerably within different industry sectors. The highest paying industry sector for short order cooks occupations is the educational services sector with an annual salary $39,400. The lowest paying sector is the management of companies and enterprises sector (annual salary $17,200).

Industry Sector Median Annual Salary
Educational Services
$39,400
Health Care and Social Assistance
$38,730
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
$37,920
Manufacturing
$35,020
Information
$34,560
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
$34,070
Other Services (except Federal, State, and Local Government)
$30,660
Accommodation and Food Services
$30,430
Retail Trade
$30,160
Transportation and Warehousing
$29,850
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
$28,410
Federal, State, and Local Government
$27,590
Wholesale Trade
$27,570
Construction
$19,570
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
$18,300
Management of Companies and Enterprises
$17,200

Table 3. Median Annual Wage of Short Order Cooks by States (2022 survey)

From the above tables we note that not only short order cooks salaries vary considerably based on one's education and experience, and the industry sectors, they also change considerably from state to state. In the following table we compare the median salary of short order cooks in all 50 states of the United States. We note that the median annual salaries range from $18,500 to $38,440. The highest paying state for short order cooks is Washington with a median annual salary of $38,440. The lowest paying state is Puerto Rico with a median annual salary of $18,500. For more salary information of short order cooks profession in a specific state, use the links in the table.

State Name Median Annual Salary
Washington
$38,440
Nevada
$38,100
District of Columbia
$37,920
Maine
$37,440
Hawaii
$37,240
Minnesota
$36,530
Colorado
$35,790
Connecticut
$35,590
Alaska
$35,420
California
$35,350
Massachusetts
$34,890
New York
$34,820
Oregon
$33,390
Maryland
$33,280
Arizona
$33,080
New Jersey
$32,600
New Hampshire
$30,450
Vermont
$30,330
Rhode Island
$30,290
Illinois
$30,080
Tennessee
$30,080
South Dakota
$29,470
Florida
$29,100
Nebraska
$28,980
Missouri
$28,680
Georgia
$28,660
Virginia
$28,150
Idaho
$28,040
Wisconsin
$27,970
New Mexico
$27,680
Michigan
$27,620
South Carolina
$27,040
Delaware
$26,950
Iowa
$26,620
Texas
$26,620
Pennsylvania
$26,460
Utah
$26,150
Kentucky
$26,110
North Dakota
$25,910
Arkansas
$25,440
Wyoming
$25,370
Mississippi
$24,960
Montana
$24,520
Kansas
$23,910
Indiana
$23,730
North Carolina
$23,700
Ohio
$23,440
Louisiana
$23,130
Virgin Islands
$22,590
Alabama
$22,510
Oklahoma
$22,480
West Virginia
$21,310
Guam
$19,760
Puerto Rico
$18,500