Cooks, Short Order pay in North Carolina
$31,680avg. a year
$15.23 an hour · 3,170 employed
Cooks, Short Order in North Carolina earn an average of $31,680 a year. That is $4,440 (12%) less than the U.S. average of $36,120. The best-paying metro area is Durham-Chapel Hill, NC at $36,220.
$31,290Median pay
$15.23Average hourly
+19%Avg. pay since 2020
#35Of 48 states + D.C.
Top-paying North Carolina metro areas
Average pay for cooks, short order by metro area. Swipe to see all 8.
1150 jobs
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
$36,220
$17.41 an hour
2530 jobs
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
$34,580
$16.63 an hour
3530 jobs
Raleigh-Cary, NC
$31,590
$15.19 an hour
4810 jobs
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
$31,430
$15.11 an hour
5150 jobs
Wilmington, NC
$30,790
$14.80 an hour
6170 jobs
Winston-Salem, NC
$30,550
$14.69 an hour
7260 jobs
Greensboro-High Point, NC
$29,980
$14.42 an hour
8
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC
$29,310
$14.09 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Cooks, Short Order pay in North Carolina, charted
Pay over time
North Carolina, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where North Carolina cooks, short order work
Employment by metro area, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · North Carolina highlighted · tap a state
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Under $32k$32k–$35k$35k–$40k$40k+North Carolina
North Carolina vs. neighbors
Average pay, May 2025
| Area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $36,120 | $17.37 |
| North Carolina | $31,680 | $15.23 |
| Virginia | $32,600 | $15.68 |
| Tennessee | $31,620 | $15.20 |
| Georgia | $29,370 | $14.12 |
| South Carolina | $29,340 | $14.10 |
Related jobs in North Carolina
- Cooks, Restaurant$35,140
- Food Preparation Workers$31,270
- Cooks, Fast Food$27,080
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria$36,130
- Fast Food and Counter Workers$29,050
- Waiters and Waitresses$37,850
Average pay, North Carolina, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Questions and answers
How much do cooks, short order make in North Carolina?
The average is $31,680 a year, and the median is $31,290. That is $4,440 (12%) less than the U.S. average of $36,120.
What is the hourly wage in North Carolina?
$15.23 an hour on average; the median is $15.04.
Where in North Carolina do they earn the most?
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC ($36,220), followed by Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC ($34,580). The lowest average among 8 metro areas with data is Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC ($29,310).
How does North Carolina rank?
North Carolina ranks #35 of 49 states (including D.C.) with published data for this job, by average pay.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 35-2015. State rank compares average pay across states with published data. Metro figures cover metropolitan statistical areas; a metro area can cross state lines. See also the national cooks, short order page. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.