Cooks, Short Order in the Great Falls Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Cooks, Short Order pay in Great Falls, MT at a median of $32,370 per year ($15.56/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $35,880, the metro estimate is 10% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause.

The Great Falls pay distribution spans from $26,650 at the 10th percentile to $32,370 at the 90th, a 1.2× 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 $26,650 and the 75th at $32,370, so half of Great Falls-based cooks, short order earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Great Falls, MT 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 MT estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.