Is this a competitive Cooks salary in North Carolina in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS August 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$22K
P25$23K
P50$27K
P75$29K
P90$35K
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Demand: ACTIVE. Demand is active -- retail openings are at 4.7% (JOLTS, August 2026). A balanced market where the median is a solid, competitive anchor.
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Merit budget: Wages in retail trade are rising about 3.4% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 3.0-3.5% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $27,186 to $29,203 (market median to the 75th percentile). The median-to-P75 range keeps offers competitive.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Cooks pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role rose 2.4% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, trailing the 3.4% wage growth of Retail Trade (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · MODERATE
Retail Trade is running a 4.7% job-openings rate with quits at 3.0% (BLS JOLTS). The openings rate has drifted up from 4.5% to 4.7% over the past quarter.
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 1.9 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is narrower than typical, so pay is fairly standardized; small differences move a candidate across the market.
What changed recently
Sep 29, 2026JOLTS August 2026: sector openings rose to 4.7% (up 54K), the highest this year. Quits held at 3.0% (July revised from 3.1%). Hourly churn pressure persists.
Sep 1, 2026JOLTS July 2026: sector openings held at 4.5% (June revised down from 4.8%); quits crept up to 3.1%, the highest of the year. Hourly churn pressure persists.
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings climbed to 4.8% and quits returned to 3.0%. Frontline churn pressure is building again.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS August 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The median salary for Cooks, Fast Food in North Carolina is $27,186 per year ($13.07/hr). This is 12% lower than the national median of $30,888.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
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.
Wage Percentiles: North Carolina
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours) · National adjusted
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
vs National
P10Entry level
$10.52
$21,882
-3.1%
P25
$10.93
$22,734
-16.6%
P50MEDIAN
$13.07
$27,186
-12.0%
P75
$14.04
$29,203
-21.7%
P90Top earners
$16.76
$34,861
-18.8%
How North Carolina compares for Cooks, Fast Food
Computed from this state's own BLS distribution against national
Pay for Cooks, Fast Food in North Carolina sits below the national range at every level: -3.1% at entry, -12.0% at the median and -18.8% at the top. The gap is larger at entry than at the top.
An offer at the national median of $30,888 would sit at about the 81st percentile in North Carolina.
The top of the range earns 1.59 times the bottom here against 1.90 times nationally, so pay for this role is more compressed between entry and senior levels in North Carolina.
North Carolina employs 81,980 people in this role, 12.8% of the national total.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median cooks, fast food salary in North Carolina?
The median (P50) annual salary for Cooks, Fast Food in North Carolina is approximately $27,186, based on BLS OEWS May 2025 data. This is 12% lower than the national median of $30,888. For the full P10–P90 breakdown and market context, open CompSignal.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.
