Cooks, Short Order in District of Columbia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$34,908
after federal, FICA and District of Columbia tax
Tax takes
$7,542
17.8% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$31,504
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
$42,450
Kept after tax
$34,908
Worth in national money
$31,504
State rank
9
of 49 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- This is a good state for the work. District of Columbia pays cooks, short order a middle wage of $42,450, ranking 9 of 49 states and sitting about 18.31% above the national middle.
- Within District of Columbia this is lower-paid work. Of 390 occupations the state publishes figures for, cooks, short order ranks 358. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- Costs eat into it here. Of $42,450, tax leaves $34,908 — and because District of Columbia is dearer than average, that stretches only as far as $31,504 would nationally. Averages run higher here, $42,780, since top earners drag the number up.
- District of Columbia's median for cooks, short order is $42,450, about 18.31% above the national figure and 9 of 49 states reporting. Whether that premium reaches the worker depends on the two adjustments below, which is the part a wage table cannot tell you.
- Against every occupation District of Columbia reports, cooks, short order ranks 358 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.
- After tax, $34,908 remains from the District of Columbia median of $42,450 for this occupation. Applying the state's above-average price parity yields $31,504 in national-average terms — the quantity relevant to a relocation decision, and the one absent from essentially every published wage comparison. Mean pay of $42,780 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
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Pay band: Cooks, Short Order
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $39,650 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $42,450 |
| Top tenth earn over | $47,060 |
| This salary | $42,450 |
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 | $34,908 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $36,289 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$5,840 |
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 | $40,731 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$7,062 |
| 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 $42,450. The published range is $39,650 up to $47,060, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind District of Columbia's $34,908, worked from $42,450. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 358 of 390.
- One number stands for prices across all of District of Columbia, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $31,504, the adjusted value of that $42,450 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 358 of 390 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for cooks, short order in District of Columbia the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $39,650 to $47,060. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The District of Columbia take-home of $34,908, on $42,450 for work ranking 358 of 390 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 358 of 390 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for District of Columbia, so $31,504 — the adjusted value of that $42,450 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 358 of 390 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $39,650 at the bottom tenth to $47,060 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
Not on its own. Prices in District of Columbia run above the national level, so the same dollars buy less here. Adjusted for that, this pay is worth $31,504 — the wage did not change, only what it covers.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; District of Columbia then takes its own share, leaving $34,908.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 49 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($39,650 to $47,060) 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 $31,504 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 $34,908 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.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 49 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.