Cooks, Fast Food Salary in the Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area
Fast food cooks in the Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area earned a median of $23,690 a year ($11.39 an hour) and a mean of $25,440 in May 2025. The median is 23.3% below the U.S. median ($30,890), ranking 373rd of 419 areas, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Median annual
- $23,690
- Median hourly
- $11.39
- Mean annual
- $25,440
- Jobs on record
- 5,070
Grey needle: U.S. median, $30,890 a year.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Confirm any figure on bls.gov/oes. Latest BLS release: May 2025, published May 15, 2026; checked November 10, 2026.
How does the Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area compare on pay for fast food cooks?
The Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area ranks 373rd of the 419 metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas with a published median.
| Area | Rank | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mount, NC | 371 | $23,710 | 1,260 |
| Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH | 371 | $23,710 | 450 |
| Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area | 373 | $23,690 | 5,070 |
| Valdosta, GA | 374 | $23,640 | 270 |
| Greenville, NC | 375 | $23,600 | 1,780 |
Source: BLS OEWS metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area file, May 2025. Rank 1 is the highest median among 419 areas with a published figure.
How does pay here compare with North Carolina and the U.S.?
The $23,690 median is 12.9% below the North Carolina median ($27,190), and 23.3% below the U.S. median ($30,890).
| Area | Median | 10th percentile | 90th percentile | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area | $23,690 | $21,200 | $34,030 | 5,070 |
| North Carolina | $27,190 | $21,890 | $34,860 | 81,980 |
| United States | $30,890 | $22,580 | $42,910 | 641,070 |
Source: BLS OEWS metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area file, May 2025; BLS OEWS state and national files, May 2025.
How does this job compare with all jobs in the Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area?
Fast food cooks hold 2.13% of the jobs in the Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area, against 0.41% of jobs across the U.S., a location quotient of 5.16.
Source: BLS OEWS metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area file, May 2025; BLS OEWS metropolitan totals and national file, May 2025.
How many fast food cooks work in the Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area?
BLS counts 5,070 jobs in the Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area, 0.79% of the 641,070 in the U.S. That is 21.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area, a location quotient of 5.16: the occupation's share of local jobs is 5.16 times its national share, so it is more concentrated here than in the U.S. as a whole.
Source: BLS OEWS metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area file, May 2025 and national file.
Related jobs in the Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area
Related occupations from O*NET; pay from BLS OEWS metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area file, May 2025.