Prepare and cook food in a fast food restaurant with a limited menu. Duties of these cooks are limited to preparation of a few basic items and normally involve operating large-volume single-purpose cooking equipment.
National median · BLS
$30,890
▲ +2.42%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$32,390
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
641,070
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.
Pay range for Cooks, Fast Food
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$22,580
25th
$27,260
Median (50th)
$30,890
75th
$37,260
90th — top pay
$42,910
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Cooks, Fast Food
BLS projects employment of cooks, fast food to grow 0.6% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% average for all occupations.
About 86,400 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
640,500 → 644,100
+3,600 jobs
Projected change
+0.6%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
86,400
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
No formal educational credential
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
BLS state medians, plus the same figure adjusted for local prices (BEA Regional Price Parities). Tap a state for its full range and H-1B pay.
State
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Cooks, Fast Food salaries by metro area
Search by city, ZIP code or metro name. Tap a metro for its full range.
Metro area
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Skills & tools
Skills needed for Cooks, Fast Food
How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.
Top skills
Service Orientation3.1
Active Listening3.0
Speaking2.9
Coordination2.8
Reading Comprehension2.8
Critical Thinking2.6
Monitoring2.6
Social Perceptiveness2.5
Time Management2.5
Judgment and Decision Making2.4
Top knowledge areas
Food Production3.8
Customer and Personal Service3.7
English Language3.3
Production and Processing2.9
Administration and Management2.5
Mathematics2.4
Personnel and Human Resources2.4
Transportation2.4
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft WordAldelo Systems Aldelo for Restaurants ProFoodman Home-DeliveryPlexis Software Plexis POSRestaurantPlus PRO
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What cooks, fast food do
Read food order slips or receive verbal instructions as to food required by patron, and prepare and cook food according to instructions.
Maintain sanitation, health, and safety standards in work areas.
Clean food preparation areas, cooking surfaces, and utensils.
Operate large-volume cooking equipment, such as grills, deep-fat fryers, or griddles.
Take food and drink orders and receive payment from customers.
Cook the exact number of items ordered by each customer, working on several different orders simultaneously.
Prepare specialty foods, such as pizzas, fish and chips, sandwiches, or tacos, following specific methods that usually require short preparation time.
Verify that prepared food meets requirements for quality and quantity.
Fast Food Fry CookFast Food WorkerFood Service CookFryline AttendantGrill Line CookSnack Bar CookSpecialty Cook
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Cooks, Fast Food, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $30,890.
