BLS metro-level wage data places Cooks, Fast Food pay in Lexington-Fayette, KY at a median of $26,840 per year ($12.91/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $30,890, Lexington-Fayette pays 13% below, which typically tracks with a lower local cost of living or smaller specialized-employer cluster. Approximately 3,040 cooks, fast foods are employed across the Lexington-Fayette MSA in SOC 35-2011.

The Lexington-Fayette pay distribution spans from $21,920 at the 10th percentile to $30,510 at the 90th — a 1.4× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $22,650 and the 75th at $27,890, so half of Lexington-Fayette-based cooks, fast foods earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live — which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Lexington-Fayette, KY covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide KY data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.