SOC 35-2015 · Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations · May 2025

How much do Cooks, Short Order make in Cedar Rapids, IA?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Cooks, Short Order in Cedar Rapids, IA is $32,940. The 10th percentile is $26,660 and the 90th percentile is $42,600. Employment is 80.

Median annual wage

$32,940

10th percentile
$26,660
25th percentile
$29,940
Median
$32,940
75th percentile
$37,860
90th percentile
$42,600
Mean
$34,320

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, Short Order, the published 10th percentile is $26,660 and the 90th percentile is $42,600. The difference is $15,940, which is 48.4% 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 $29,940 to the 75th at $37,860, covers $7,920.

The mean annual wage is $34,320, which sits above the median of $32,940. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Cedar Rapids, IA median is 8.2% lower than the national median of $35,880 for Cooks, Short Order. In 2024 national prices the local median is $37,027, which is 3.2% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 3.4% lower than the Iowa median of $34,090.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Cedar Rapids, IA is 88.963, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $32,940 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Cooks, Short Order at $37,027 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

13 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Cooks, Short Order. Cedar Rapids, IA ranks 9th of 14 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).).

  • Iowa City, IA is 39 miles away, with a median of $35,990 and employment of 50. That median is 9.3% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $39,329, against $37,027 here.
  • Dubuque, IA is 46 miles away, with a median of $36,990 and employment of 50. That median is 12.3% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $42,358, against $37,027 here.
  • Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA is 53 miles away, with a median of $33,520 and employment of 60. That median is 1.8% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $38,504, against $37,027 here.

Employment share

Cooks, Short Order accounts for 0.06% of wage-and-salary employment in Cedar Rapids, IA (80 of 139,260). Nationally the occupation is 0.09% of employment (138,650 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.64 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 Cedar Rapids, IA · Cooks, Short Order 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, Short Order make in Cedar Rapids, IA?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Cooks, Short Order in Cedar Rapids, IA is $32,940. The 10th percentile is $26,660 and the 90th percentile is $42,600. Employment is 80.

How does that compare with the national median for Cooks, Short Order?

The local median is 8.2% lower than the national median of $35,880.

What is Cooks, Short Order pay in Cedar Rapids, IA after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Cedar Rapids, IA is 88.963, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $32,940 is $37,027. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Cedar Rapids, IA compare with nearby metros for Cooks, Short Order?

Iowa City, IA is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 39 miles away, at $35,990. Cedar Rapids, IA ranks 9th of 14 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.