How much do Cooks, Short Order make in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC?

Percentile spread

For Cooks, Short Order, the published 10th percentile is $23,040 and the 90th percentile is $35,920. The difference is $12,880, which is 44.1% 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 $25,750 to the 75th at $31,960, covers $6,210.

The mean annual wage is $29,310, which sits above the median of $29,230. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC median is 18.5% lower than the national median of $35,880 for Cooks, Short Order. In 2024 national prices the local median is $33,033, which is 7.9% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 6.6% lower than the North Carolina median of $31,290.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC is 88.486, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $29,230 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Cooks, Short Order at $33,033 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

17 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Cooks, Short Order. Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC ranks 12th of 18 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).).

• Johnson City, TN is 58 miles away, with a median of $29,460 and employment of 80. That median is 0.8% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $33,505, against $33,033 here.
• Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC is 58 miles away, with a median of $34,600 and employment of 530. That median is 18.4% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $35,543, against $33,033 here.
• Winston-Salem, NC is 65 miles away, with a median of $29,400 and employment of 170. That median is 0.6% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $31,942, against $33,033 here.