Auburn-Opelika, AL · SOC 35-2011

Cooks, Fast Food in the Auburn-Opelika Metro

Metro area salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025)

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Geography used: wage and employment figures cover the full Auburn-Opelika, AL BLS wage area, not only its central city; the comparison figure is the United States national estimate. Verify with the BLS OEWS source tables.

Median Salary

$27,120

per year in the Auburn-Opelika metro

12% below

National Median

$30,890

per year nationally

Hourly Rate

$13.04/hr

median hourly

Employment

1,220

jobs in the Auburn-Opelika metro

The Auburn-Opelika pay distribution spans from $22,600 at the 10th percentile to $33,140 at the 90th, a 1.5× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $23,150 and the 75th at $29,110, so half of Auburn-Opelika-based cooks, fast food earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Auburn-Opelika, AL covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide AL estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.

Salary Range in the Auburn-Opelika Metro

Annual Salary Distribution

10th$22,600
25th$23,150
Median$27,120
75th$29,110
90th$33,140

Top Paying Jobs in Auburn-Opelika

1. Physicians, All Other $293,630 2. Architectural and Engineering Managers Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 70 workers (fewer than 100). $144,800 3. Pharmacists $133,180 4. Computer and Information Systems Managers $129,590 5. Financial Managers $129,580 6. Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 40 workers (fewer than 100). $128,090 7. Information Security Analysts Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 70 workers (fewer than 100). $120,950 8. Software Developers $120,310 9. Sales Managers Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 90 workers (fewer than 100). $116,000 10. Industrial Production Managers $110,980

Small sample marks a row whose BLS estimate rests on fewer than 100 workers. It is still a published figure, but BLS reports more sampling error for cells this small: the median relative standard error of the mean wage is 3.4% under 100 workers against 2.1% at 100 or more (May 2025 metro estimates). Small gaps in rank between neighbouring rows may not be meaningful.

Similar Occupations in Auburn-Opelika

Other roles inside the Auburn-Opelika, AL MSA from the same SOC major group.

Bartenders

in Auburn-Opelika

Chefs and Head Cooks

in Auburn-Opelika

Cooks, All Other

in Auburn-Opelika

Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria

in Auburn-Opelika

Cooks, Private Household

in Auburn-Opelika
Compare Cooks, Fast Food against another occupation → ← National Cooks, Fast Food salary Cooks, Fast Food in AL →

How much do Cooks, Fast Food make in the Auburn-Opelika metro area?

How much do Cooks, Fast Food make in the Auburn-Opelika metro area? ▼
The median annual salary for Cooks, Fast Food in Auburn-Opelika, AL is $27,120 ($13.04/hour). The salary range spans from $22,600 at the 10th percentile to $33,140 at the 90th percentile.
How does Cooks, Fast Food pay in the Auburn-Opelika metro compare nationally? ▼
Cooks, Fast Food pay in Auburn-Opelika, AL is 12% below the national median of $30,890. There are approximately 1,220 Cooks, Fast Food jobs in this metro area.

Last updated: May 2025 (BLS OEWS annual release). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage figures are computed directly from BLS OEWS data for the full Auburn-Opelika, AL wage area. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2025.