SOC 35-2011 · Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro

Cooks, Fast Food Salary in Little Rock, AR

The average salary for cooks, fast food in Little Rock, Arkansas is $28,240 a year ($13.58 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $28,580: half of the 3,050 people in this job in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 13% less than the U.S. average for this job ($32,390).

$28,240average per year

$13.58 / hourMedian $28,580Take-home ≈ $24,307

  • $24K10th
  • $27K25th
  • $29KMedian
  • $30K75th
  • $31K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

3,050people in this job
-13%vs U.S. average
#2 of 4Arkansas metros
89cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Cooks, Fast Food pay range in Little Rock

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $24,210 a year or less, while the top 10% make $31,200 or more. The middle half of cooks, fast food in Little Rock earn between $26,780 and $29,900.

  • $24K10th
  • $27K25th
  • $29KMedian
  • $30K75th
  • $31K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$28,240$2,353$13.58
Median$28,580$2,382$13.74
Entry level (25th percentile)$26,780$2,232$12.88
Experienced (75th percentile)$29,900$2,492$14.38

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year. Hourly to annual salary.

Cooks, Fast Food pay in Little Rock vs. Arkansas and the U.S.

Cooks, fast food in Little Rock earn about the same as the Arkansas average ($27,770) and 13% less than the U.S. average ($32,390). At the median the gap is -7% against the U.S. median of $30,890.

AreaAverageMedian10th pct.90th pct.Jobs
Little Rock$28,240$28,580$24,210$31,2003,050
Arkansas$27,770$27,710$23,770$32,7207,860
United States$32,390$30,890$22,580$42,910641,070

State and U.S. rows: BLS statewide and national estimates, May 2025, which include rural areas.

Cooks, Fast Food salary after taxes in Little Rock

On the average salary of $28,240, a single filer in Little Rock takes home about $24,307 a year, or $2,026 a month and $935 every two weeks. Taxes take 14% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Arkansas tax is estimated with the Department of Finance and Administration's 2026 withholding formula.

Arkansas paycheck calculator: try your own salary

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Is Little Rock a good place for cooks, fast food? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Little Rock area are 11% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 89.4), so the average $28,240 buys what about $31,601 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.6 times the median wage of all jobs in Little Rock ($45,790). A typical home costs $231,039, or 8.2 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $28,240 is worth in another city

Cooks, Fast Food salary in other Arkansas cities

Little Rock ranks 2nd of 4 Arkansas metro areas for this job; Fayetteville pays the most ($28,260).

All Cooks, Fast Food salaries in Arkansas

Highest-paying cities for cooks, fast food

San Francisco, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($46,590).

Cooks, Fast Food salary by city

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Cooks, Fast Food salary in Little Rock: questions

How much do cooks, fast food make an hour in Little Rock?

$13.58 an hour on average, and $13.74 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level cooks, fast food salary in Little Rock?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $24,210 a year and the 25th percentile is $26,780, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the cooks, fast food take-home pay in Little Rock?

About $24,307 a year ($2,026 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $28,240. Arkansas tax is estimated with the Department of Finance and Administration's 2026 withholding formula.

Do cooks, fast food earn more in Little Rock than elsewhere?

The average here is 13% less than the U.S. average for this job ($32,390).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 35-2011; area Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR (30780). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 3.0%.
  • U.S. and statewide figures: BLS OEWS national and state estimates, May 2025, every employer including rural areas.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Arkansas tax is estimated with the Department of Finance and Administration's 2026 withholding formula.
  • Job concentration: location quotient 2.06, this job is 2.1 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.

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