SOC 35-2011 · Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations · May 2025

How much do Cooks, Fast Food make in Rockford, IL?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Cooks, Fast Food in Rockford, IL is $33,380. The 10th percentile is $31,200 and the 90th percentile is $36,150. Employment is 310.

Median annual wage

$33,380

10th percentile
$31,200
25th percentile
$31,260
Median
$33,380
75th percentile
$35,370
90th percentile
$36,150
Mean
$33,690

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Farmworkers picking asparagus in a field in Baja California
Asparagus pickers in the Maneadero valley, Baja California. Photograph by Tomas Castelazo. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Percentile spread

For Cooks, Fast Food, the published 10th percentile is $31,200 and the 90th percentile is $36,150. The difference is $4,950, which is 14.8% 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 $31,260 to the 75th at $35,370, covers $4,110.

The mean annual wage is $33,690, which sits above the median of $33,380. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Rockford, IL median is 8.1% higher than the national median of $30,890 for Cooks, Fast Food. In 2024 national prices the local median is $36,222, which is 17.3% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 4.5% lower than the Illinois median of $34,960.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Rockford, IL is 92.154, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $33,380 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Cooks, Fast Food at $36,222 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

26 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Cooks, Fast Food. Rockford, IL ranks 2nd of 27 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).).

  • Janesville-Beloit, WI is 23 miles away, with a median of $29,930 and employment of 110. That median is 10.3% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $31,941, against $36,222 here.
  • Madison, WI is 59 miles away, with a median of $29,640 and employment of 960. That median is 11.2% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $30,467, against $36,222 here.
  • Kenosha, WI is 62 miles away, with a median of $29,100 and employment of 240. That median is 12.8% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $28,778, against $36,222 here.

Employment share

Cooks, Fast Food accounts for 0.23% of wage-and-salary employment in Rockford, IL (310 of 137,650). Nationally the occupation is 0.41% of employment (641,070 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.55 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.

Highest-paying jobs in Rockford, IL · Cooks, Fast Food by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Cooks, Fast Food make in Rockford, IL?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Cooks, Fast Food in Rockford, IL is $33,380. The 10th percentile is $31,200 and the 90th percentile is $36,150. Employment is 310.

How does that compare with the national median for Cooks, Fast Food?

The local median is 8.1% higher than the national median of $30,890.

What is Cooks, Fast Food pay in Rockford, IL after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Rockford, IL is 92.154, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $33,380 is $36,222. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Rockford, IL compare with nearby metros for Cooks, Fast Food?

Janesville-Beloit, WI is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 23 miles away, at $29,930. Rockford, IL ranks 2nd of 27 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.