BLS metro-level wage data places Cooks, Short Order pay in Kahului-Wailuku, HI at a median of $48,140 per year ($23.14/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $35,880, Kahului-Wailuku pays +34% above, signaling either concentrated employer demand, a cost-of-living premium, or both. Approximately 110 cooks, short orders are employed across the Kahului-Wailuku MSA in SOC 35-2015.

The Kahului-Wailuku pay distribution spans from $46,390 at the 10th percentile to $67,790 at the 90th — a 1.5× 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 $46,620 and the 75th at $60,200, so half of Kahului-Wailuku-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 Kahului-Wailuku, HI 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 HI data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.