Cooks, Short Order in Greensboro-High Point

BLS metro-level wage data places Cooks, Short Order pay in Greensboro-High Point, NC at a median of $29,700 per year ($14.28/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $35,880, Greensboro-High Point pays 17% below, which typically tracks with a lower local cost of living or smaller specialized-employer cluster. Approximately 260 cooks, short orders are employed across the Greensboro-High Point MSA in SOC 35-2015.

The Greensboro-High Point pay distribution spans from $22,170 at the 10th percentile to $36,500 at the 90th, a 1.6× 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 $26,050 and the 75th at $33,820, so half of Greensboro-High Point-based cooks, short orders 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 Greensboro-High Point, NC 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 NC data, and peer-metro comparisons, a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.