Cooks, Fast Food in District of Columbia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$36,558
after federal, FICA and District of Columbia tax
Tax takes
$8,112
18.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$32,994
District of Columbia costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in District of Columbia — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$44,670
Kept after tax
$36,558
Worth in national money
$32,994
State rank
2
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for cooks, fast food is strong here. District of Columbia's middle earner gets $44,670, putting the state 2 of 51 — about 44.61% ahead of the national figure.
- Within District of Columbia this is lower-paid work. Of 390 occupations the state publishes figures for, cooks, fast food ranks 350. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $44,670 the take-home is $36,558. But District of Columbia costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $32,994 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is lower, $43,710, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- For cooks, fast food, District of Columbia sits in the upper band nationally: a median of $44,670, ranking 2 of 51 and running about 44.61% above the national midpoint. Nominal advantage of this size is usually, though not always, large enough to survive the state's own tax and price levels.
- Against every occupation District of Columbia reports, cooks, fast food ranks 350 of 390, in the lowest quartile of the state's distribution. That position is set by the local labor market and is independent of how the state compares nationally for this work.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and District of Columbia income tax is $36,558 for cooks, fast food, from $44,670. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $32,994. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $43,710 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Cooks, Fast Food
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $36,480 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $44,670 |
| Top tenth earn over | $51,260 |
| This salary | $44,670 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in District of Columbia | $36,558 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $38,072 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$6,186 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $42,785 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$7,481 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 111 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in District of Columbia earn less than $44,670. The published range is $36,480 up to $51,260, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In District of Columbia the take-home figure of $36,558, from $44,670, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 350 of 390 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $32,994 uses one figure for the whole of District of Columbia. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 390 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 350.
- Reported values are medians; for cooks, fast food in District of Columbia the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $36,480 to $51,260. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for District of Columbia is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $36,558 from $44,670. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 350 of 390 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $32,994, worked from $44,670, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular District of Columbia address, on work sitting at 350 of 390 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $36,480 and the top tenth $51,260, so most people doing this work in District of Columbia sit within a fairly tight band.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
The number and the value are different things. District of Columbia costs more than the national average, so this take-home stretches like $32,994 rather than its face figure.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and District of Columbia's own levy, $36,558 remains.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($36,480 to $51,260) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to District of Columbia rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
District of Columbia's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $32,994 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $36,558 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and District of Columbia income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.