How much do Cooks, Fast Food make in Charleston, WV?

Percentile spread

For Cooks, Fast Food, the published 10th percentile is $22,170 and the 90th percentile is $27,820. The difference is $5,650, which is 24.4% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $22,380 to the 75th at $26,850, covers $4,470.

The mean annual wage is $24,520, which sits above the median of $23,180. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Charleston, WV median is 25% lower than the national median of $30,890 for Cooks, Fast Food. In 2024 national prices the local median is $26,128, which is 15.4% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 0.3% higher than the West Virginia median of $23,120.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Charleston, WV is 88.717, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $23,180 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Cooks, Fast Food at $26,128 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

27 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Cooks, Fast Food. Charleston, WV ranks 24th of 28 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

• Beckley, WV is 32 miles away, with a median of $22,370 and employment of 1,170. That median is 3.5% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $25,314, against $26,128 here.
• Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH is 59 miles away, with a median of $22,610 and employment of 3,070. That median is 2.5% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $25,571, against $26,128 here.
• Parkersburg-Vienna, WV is 59 miles away, with a median of $22,780 and employment of 1,120. That median is 1.7% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $26,164, against $26,128 here.

Employment share

Cooks, Fast Food accounts for 2.2% of wage-and-salary employment in Charleston, WV (2,230 of 103,450). Nationally the occupation is 0.41% of employment (641,070 of 155,495,730). The local share is 5.23 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.