SOC 35-2011 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Cooks, Fast Food — Michigan
Michigan · 10 metro areas compared
At $29,460, median pay for Cooks, Fast Food in Michigan tracks the national median of $30,890 closely.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to decline
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- -13.5%
- Openings per year
- 82,100
- Typical entry-level education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Michigan.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
At $29,460, median pay for Cooks, Fast Food in Michigan tracks the national median of $30,890 closely. Pay ranges from under $25,960 at the tenth percentile to more than $37,240 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $27,300 to $30,880.
Employment stands at 14,340, or 3.3 jobs per thousand held locally. Michigan ranks number 32nd out of 51 states by median pay for this occupation. Within the state, Detroit records the highest median at $29,810. Of the 774 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 766th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $25,960 | −16.0% |
| 25th | $27,300 | −11.6% |
| Median (50th) | $29,460 | −4.6% |
| 75th | $30,880 | −0.0% |
| 90th | $37,240 | +20.6% |
| Mean | $30,400 | −1.6% |
Highest-paying metro areas in Michigan
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit | $29,810 | 5,930 | |
| 2 | Ann Arbor | $29,690 | 420 | |
| 3 | Jackson | $29,460 | 330 | |
| 4 | Kalamazoo | $29,300 | 440 | |
| 5 | Grand Rapids | $28,980 | 1,740 | |
| 6 | Muskegon | $28,820 | 570 | |
| 7 | Traverse City | $28,740 | 300 | |
| 8 | Flint | $28,510 | 560 | |
| 9 | Lansing | $28,400 | 730 | |
| 10 | Niles | $28,240 | 320 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Michigan run 3.8% below the national average, so the median of $29,460 goes as far as $30,624 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 0.9% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$29,460as reported by BLSLocal price level
96.2US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$30,624US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $29,460 a year, 4.6% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $25,960 to $37,240 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 14,340 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 32nd of 51 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Detroit, at $29,810.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Cooks, Fast Food in Michigan?
The median annual wage is $29,460, or $14.17 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $30,890, so pay in Michigan is 4.6% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Michigan earns more than $37,240 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $25,960 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Detroit, at $29,810 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 14,340 jobs in this occupation in Michigan. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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