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

How much do Cooks, Fast Food make in St. Joseph, MO-KS?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Cooks, Fast Food in St. Joseph, MO-KS is $29,620. The 10th percentile is $28,600 and the 90th percentile is $33,990. Employment is 1,020.

Median annual wage

$29,620

10th percentile
$28,600
25th percentile
$28,600
Median
$29,620
75th percentile
$30,160
90th percentile
$33,990
Mean
$30,230

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A nurse attending an elderly patient in a hospital
A nurse with a patient at a hospital centre in Birmingham. Wellcome Collection. Photograph by Wellcome Collection. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

Percentile spread

For Cooks, Fast Food, the published 10th percentile is $28,600 and the 90th percentile is $33,990. The difference is $5,390, which is 18.2% 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 $28,600 to the 75th at $30,160, covers $1,560.

The mean annual wage is $30,230, which sits above the median of $29,620. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The St. Joseph, MO-KS median is 4.1% lower than the national median of $30,890 for Cooks, Fast Food. In 2024 national prices the local median is $34,290, which is 11% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 0.9% lower than the Missouri median of $29,890.

St. Joseph, MO-KS covers more than one state. The state comparison uses Missouri, the primary state on the BLS area record.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for St. Joseph, MO-KS is 86.382, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $29,620 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Cooks, Fast Food at $34,290 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

10 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Cooks, Fast Food. St. Joseph, MO-KS ranks 5th of 11 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).).

  • Kansas City, MO-KS is 65 miles away, with a median of $30,170 and employment of 13,850. That median is 1.9% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $32,601, against $34,290 here.
  • Lawrence, KS is 70 miles away, with a median of $29,700 and employment of 110. That median is 0.3% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $32,911, against $34,290 here.
  • Topeka, KS is 77 miles away, with a median of $26,680 and employment of 170. That median is 9.9% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $30,038, against $34,290 here.

Employment share

Cooks, Fast Food accounts for 1.9% of wage-and-salary employment in St. Joseph, MO-KS (1,020 of 54,390). Nationally the occupation is 0.41% of employment (641,070 of 155,495,730). The local share is 4.55 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 St. Joseph, MO-KS · 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 St. Joseph, MO-KS?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Cooks, Fast Food in St. Joseph, MO-KS is $29,620. The 10th percentile is $28,600 and the 90th percentile is $33,990. Employment is 1,020.

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

The local median is 4.1% lower than the national median of $30,890.

What is Cooks, Fast Food pay in St. Joseph, MO-KS after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for St. Joseph, MO-KS is 86.382, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $29,620 is $34,290. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does St. Joseph, MO-KS compare with nearby metros for Cooks, Fast Food?

Kansas City, MO-KS is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 65 miles away, at $30,170. St. Joseph, MO-KS ranks 5th of 11 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.