Ranked by median pay, with jobs and rent share; from BLS and Census data.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
9 metro areas in West Virginia publish pay for this occupation with at least 100 jobs, together 21,090 jobs. The three largest employers of cooks, fast food are Washington-Arlington-Alexandria (10,580 jobs), Huntington-Ashland (3,070 jobs), Charleston (2,230 jobs), which hold 75.3% of those jobs. Median pay across these metros runs from $22,370 to $35,800 a year, against $23,120 for the whole state and $30,890 for the whole country.
BLS reports a national median of $30,890 a year for cooks, fast food (the lowest-paid tenth earn under $22,580 and the highest-paid tenth over $42,910). Employment is projected to change by +0.6% between 2025 and 2035, with about 86,400 openings a year including replacements. The typical entry route is: No formal educational credential; on-the-job training: Short-term on-the-job training. Education requirements are BLS's typical ones, not legal rules; many states also license this work, so check the state board before applying.
Higher pay is not the whole story: look at the rent share column (yearly rent divided by median pay) and the price level (100 is the national average). A metro with a lower salary but cheaper housing can leave more money at the end of the month. The location quotient shows where the occupation is concentrated; employers cluster where it is above 1, which usually means more openings and more competition among employers for the same skills.
Cooks, fast food in West Virginia: the highest median pay is in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area ($35,800 a year); the most jobs are in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area (10,580). Statewide the median is $23,120 with 16,490 jobs. Metro areas with at least 100 jobs in this occupation are listed; click a column to sort.
| Metropolitan area ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Median pay ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Yearly rent as % of median pay ⇅ | Price level (US = 100) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 10,580 | $35,800 | $31,200 | $47,000 | 0.82 | 68% | 108.9 |
| Winchester, VA-WV | 260 | $28,430 | $23,330 | $35,150 | 0.95 | 57% | 96.5 |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 1,400 | $27,620 | $23,030 | $35,310 | 3.17 | 50% | 94.2 |
| Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH | 450 | $23,710 | $22,470 | $28,050 | 3.03 | 40% | 89.0 |
| Charleston, WV | 2,230 | $23,180 | $22,170 | $27,820 | 5.22 | 46% | 88.7 |
| Wheeling, WV-OH | 810 | $23,110 | $22,120 | $28,180 | 3.38 | 42% | 88.3 |
| Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | 1,120 | $22,780 | $21,550 | $27,610 | 7.49 | 43% | 87.1 |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 3,070 | $22,610 | $21,010 | $27,680 | 5.29 | 47% | 88.4 |
| Beckley, WV | 1,170 | $22,370 | $21,120 | $26,920 | 6.61 | 46% | 88.4 |
National page: Cooks, fast food →Cities of West Virginia
Rent uses the metro median gross rent (ACS) and appears only for metros that contain a city of this guide. "n/a" means BLS suppressed the figure or we have no rent for that metro.
In the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area, with a median of $35,800 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025; metro areas with at least 100 jobs).
In the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area, with 10,580 jobs.