How much do fast food and counter workers make?

What the national Fast Food and Counter Workers median says

The May 2025 BLS OEWS estimate puts the U.S. median for Fast Food and Counter Workers at $31,200 per year. Median means the middle. Half of the wage values used for this estimate fall below that point. Half fall above it. The median is not one worker's pay. It is not a job offer. It is one clear mark for the middle of a broad national pay range.

BLS also lists 3,854,050 wage and salary jobs for Fast Food and Counter Workers. That count covers jobs in the survey's scope. It does not count open job ads. It also leaves out people who work for themselves. The wage and job counts share the same May 2025 reference point, so they can be read together without mixing time periods.

The Fast Food and Counter Workers mean of $32,150 per year is 3.0% above the $31,200 median on the same published median. Mean means BLS adds the wage values and divides the total by the number of jobs behind the estimate. A gap between mean and median shows that the shape is not even. It does not explain the cause of the gap.

The fields that make SOC 35-3023 its own page

BLS names this record Fast Food and Counter Workers and gives it SOC 35-3023. The two-part code is the stable key for this page. A role with a close name keeps a different code, wage row, job count, and area pattern. WageScope never joins two SOC records because their words sound alike.

For SOC 35-3023, the U.S. row reports 3,854,050 wage and salary jobs. Its annual median is $31,200 per year. Its matching mean is $32,150 per year. These facts come from one national row and one May 2025 release.

SOC 35-3023 appears in 54 state or territory rows. It also has 393 metro rows and 137 nonmetro rows. A missing local row stays missing. We do not fill it with U.S. data or data for a similar job code.

• SOC 35-3023 10th percentile: $22,840 per year.
• SOC 35-3023 25th percentile: $27,700 per year.
• SOC 35-3023 median: $31,200 per year.
• SOC 35-3023 75th percentile: $36,070 per year.
• SOC 35-3023 90th percentile: $42,650 per year.
• SOC 35-3023 employment RSE: 0.7%. Mean-wage RSE: 0.4%.
• SOC 35-3023 has no national suppression mark in the fields shown on this page.

Read the Fast Food and Counter Workers wage ladder from low to high

The 10th percentile is $22,840 per year. The 25th percentile is $27,700 per year. The median is $31,200 per year. The 75th percentile is $36,070 per year. The 90th percentile is $42,650 per year. Each point marks a place in the same national wage spread.

A percentile is a rank point. It is not a career step. For example, the 10th percentile means 10% of wage values are at or below that mark. It does not mean a new worker starts there. The 90th percentile means 90% are at or below that mark. It does not mean a worker can reach it after a set number of years.

The middle half runs from $27,700 to $36,070 per year. That span is $8,370. The full 10th-to-90th span is $19,810. These spans show why one median cannot stand in for every Fast Food and Counter Workers job.

What the gaps around the Fast Food and Counter Workers median show

The median is 36.6% above the 10th percentile. The 90th percentile is 36.7% above the median. The two sides do not have to match. A wider upper side can pull the mean up. A wider lower side can pull it down. The data shows the shape, but not the reason for that shape.

The 25th-to-median step is $3,500 per year. The median-to-75th step is $4,870 per year. These two steps give a closer look at the middle half. They are often more useful than a single top-to-bottom gap because they keep the center in view.

Use this ladder as a fact check when you read a job post. A posted range can sit below, near, or above these BLS marks. That does not make the post wrong. A job may differ by place, hours, level, field, employer, or work rules. Keep the posted range tied to that listing. Keep the BLS range tied to the whole occupation.

Metro areas with the highest published Fast Food and Counter Workers medians

WageScope found 393 metro rows with the same published annual median for Fast Food and Counter Workers. It sorts only those rows. It does not fill a blank row. It does not turn a blank into zero. The first six rows below have the highest published medians in this release. The list is a wage rank, not a rank of places to live or work.

The first row is Napa, CA, at $45,410 per year. The middle metro row by published pay is Winston-Salem, NC, at $28,640 per year. That middle metro mark gives one more check on how far the top rows sit from a common place in the set.

These are nominal wages. Nominal means the dollar amount shown in the source. This list does not adjust for local price levels. It also does not tell us how many openings an area has now. Use a local page to see price-level context when an exact BEA row exists. Use the separate job block to inspect current employer-title matches.

• 1. Napa, CA has a Fast Food and Counter Workers median of $45,410 per year, or $14,210 above the U.S. Fast Food and Counter Workers median. BLS lists 1,440 jobs there, against 3,854,050 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 0.75.
• 2. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA has a Fast Food and Counter Workers median of $44,570 per year, or $13,370 above the U.S. Fast Food and Counter Workers median. BLS lists 23,060 jobs there, against 3,854,050 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 0.82.
• 3. Vallejo, CA has a Fast Food and Counter Workers median of $44,110 per year, or $12,910 above the U.S. Fast Food and Counter Workers median. BLS lists 4,430 jobs there, against 3,854,050 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 1.24.
• 4. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA has a Fast Food and Counter Workers median of $43,870 per year, or $12,670 above the U.S. Fast Food and Counter Workers median. BLS lists 49,970 jobs there, against 3,854,050 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 0.85.
• 5. Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA has a Fast Food and Counter Workers median of $43,610 per year, or $12,410 above the U.S. Fast Food and Counter Workers median. BLS lists 4,720 jobs there, against 3,854,050 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 0.93.
• 6. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA has a Fast Food and Counter Workers median of $43,400 per year, or $12,200 above the U.S. Fast Food and Counter Workers median. BLS lists 3,220 jobs there, against 3,854,050 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 1.32.

Metro areas with the largest Fast Food and Counter Workers job estimates

A large wage can appear in a small job market. A large job market can have a lower wage. That is why WageScope keeps pay and job count in separate views. The six rows below have the largest published employment estimates for Fast Food and Counter Workers among metro rows in this release. Employment means the number of wage and salary jobs in scope. It does not mean open roles.

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ has the largest listed metro estimate in this set, at 166,040 jobs. Its median is $35,420 per year. Compare that with Napa, CA, which leads the published median list. The leaders may match, or they may not. Each list answers a different question.

Job count can help you see the scale of a local labor market. It cannot show churn, new hiring, job quality, remote work, or the chance that one person will get hired. Current listings add a second view, but they are a dated sample of posts. WageScope never turns the listing count into a demand score.

• 1. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ has 166,040 estimated Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs. That is 4.3% of the U.S. estimate of 3,854,050 jobs. Its median is $35,420 per year, or $4,220 above the U.S. Fast Food and Counter Workers median. Its location quotient is 0.71.
• 2. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA has 160,270 estimated Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs. That is 4.2% of the U.S. estimate of 3,854,050 jobs. Its median is $42,110 per year, or $10,910 above the U.S. Fast Food and Counter Workers median. Its location quotient is 1.03.
• 3. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX has 128,380 estimated Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs. That is 3.3% of the U.S. estimate of 3,854,050 jobs. Its median is $28,070 per year, or $3,130 below the U.S. Fast Food and Counter Workers median. Its location quotient is 1.28.
• 4. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX has 105,810 estimated Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs. That is 2.7% of the U.S. estimate of 3,854,050 jobs. Its median is $27,570 per year, or $3,630 below the U.S. Fast Food and Counter Workers median. Its location quotient is 1.3.
• 5. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN has 97,280 estimated Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs. That is 2.5% of the U.S. estimate of 3,854,050 jobs. Its median is $34,630 per year, or $3,430 above the U.S. Fast Food and Counter Workers median. Its location quotient is 0.87.
• 6. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA has 80,730 estimated Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs. That is 2.1% of the U.S. estimate of 3,854,050 jobs. Its median is $27,780 per year, or $3,420 below the U.S. Fast Food and Counter Workers median. Its location quotient is 1.13.

Where Fast Food and Counter Workers has a larger share of local jobs

Location quotient is a share check. A value of 1 means the role has the same share of local jobs as it has across the nation. A value above 1 means the local share is larger. A value below 1 means the local share is smaller. It is not a count. It is not a wage. It does not say that a place is growing.

Lawrence, KS has the highest published location quotient in this bounded metro set, at 2.25. The same row lists 2,880 jobs and a median of $28,320 per year. Reading all three values keeps a high share from being mistaken for a large market or high pay.

A small area can have a high location quotient because the role makes up a large part of a small local job base. A large area can have many workers and a lower quotient. Use the quotient to ask where the role is common in the mix. Use employment to ask how many jobs BLS estimated. Use the wage fields to ask what the published pay range looks like.

• 1. Lawrence, KS has a Fast Food and Counter Workers location quotient of 2.25. BLS lists 2,880 jobs and a median of $28,320 per year, or $2,880 below the U.S. Fast Food and Counter Workers median. The U.S. job estimate is 3,854,050.
• 2. Eagle Pass, TX has a Fast Food and Counter Workers location quotient of 2.18. BLS lists 1,020 jobs and a median of $24,570 per year, or $6,630 below the U.S. Fast Food and Counter Workers median. The U.S. job estimate is 3,854,050.
• 3. Hinesville, GA has a Fast Food and Counter Workers location quotient of 2.04. BLS lists 1,030 jobs and a median of $25,210 per year, or $5,990 below the U.S. Fast Food and Counter Workers median. The U.S. job estimate is 3,854,050.
• 4. Warner Robins, GA has a Fast Food and Counter Workers location quotient of 1.93. BLS lists 3,650 jobs and a median of $26,610 per year, or $4,590 below the U.S. Fast Food and Counter Workers median. The U.S. job estimate is 3,854,050.
• 5. Lubbock, TX has a Fast Food and Counter Workers location quotient of 1.92. BLS lists 7,930 jobs and a median of $25,250 per year, or $5,950 below the U.S. Fast Food and Counter Workers median. The U.S. job estimate is 3,854,050.
• 6. Killeen-Temple, TX has a Fast Food and Counter Workers location quotient of 1.91. BLS lists 7,120 jobs and a median of $26,530 per year, or $4,670 below the U.S. Fast Food and Counter Workers median. The U.S. job estimate is 3,854,050.

How Fast Food and Counter Workers sits in Food Preparation and Serving Related

Fast Food and Counter Workers is SOC 35-3023. BLS places it in the Food Preparation and Serving Related major group. Among 17 detailed roles in that group with a published annual median, Fast Food and Counter Workers ranks 15 of 17 by median. This is a pay rank inside one source family. It is not a rank of skill, value, status, or career fit.

The closest same-family medians help set a fair peer frame. They do not claim that the work is the same. Official SOC titles can cover different tasks and settings. WageScope uses the family only because BLS publishes that link. It does not infer a career move, a skill match, or a hiring path from the wage gap.

Use these peer rows to spot whether the $31,200 median sits near many family roles or far from them. Then open a role's own page before using its number. Each role has a different code, job count, wage spread, and place pattern. One family label does not erase those facts.

• 1. Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop, SOC 35-9031, has a U.S. median of $31,200 per year. Its gap from Fast Food and Counter Workers is $0 per year.
• 2. Cooks, Fast Food, SOC 35-2011, has a U.S. median of $30,890 per year. Its gap from Fast Food and Counter Workers is $310 per year.
• 3. Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers, SOC 35-9011, has a U.S. median of $33,980 per year. Its gap from Fast Food and Counter Workers is $2,780 per year.
• 4. Bartenders, SOC 35-3011, has a U.S. median of $34,340 per year. Its gap from Fast Food and Counter Workers is $3,140 per year.
• 5. Dishwashers, SOC 35-9021, has a U.S. median of $34,810 per year. Its gap from Fast Food and Counter Workers is $3,610 per year.
• 6. Waiters and Waitresses, SOC 35-3031, has a U.S. median of $35,230 per year. Its gap from Fast Food and Counter Workers is $4,030 per year.

How much care to use with the Fast Food and Counter Workers estimate

The relative standard error for the job count is 0.7%. For the mean wage it is 0.4%. This measure, called RSE, shows survey precision. A smaller RSE often means less uncertainty from the sample. It does not tell you whether one person's pay is right or wrong.

The employment RSE applies to the 3,854,050 job estimate. The mean-wage RSE applies to the published mean of $32,150 per year. These fields do not give a matching RSE for the median or each percentile. WageScope shows the fields BLS published and does not move one RSE to another measure.

Survey values can change when BLS changes its methods, sample, models, or source year. That is why we show May 2025 on this page. Before we use a new release, we check its files, rows, and pages. A changed number is only a correction if the source calls it one.

A simple way to compare Fast Food and Counter Workers across places

First, compare the same wage metric. Use annual with annual or hourly with hourly. Next, check the source date. Keep May 2025 BLS rows together. Then read employment and location quotient beside pay. This stops a high median from standing in for market size or local share. Last, add BEA price-level context only when the exact place has an approved row.

A state, metro, and nonmetro area are not the same kind of map. Do not rank them in one list without saying so. WageScope groups like with like. It also keeps a national row as a broad bench mark. A local page can show the local row, its state row when that link is exact, and the U.S. row without blending them.

If a value is blank, keep it blank. If BLS marks a top code, read it as a lower bound. Do not fill a blank from a nearby place. Do not turn a wage gap into a claim about taxes, hours, benefits, work rules, or a household budget. Those facts are not in the OEWS row.

Move from Fast Food and Counter Workers wage data to one real listing

The job block on this page uses a strict employer-title match for Fast Food and Counter Workers. It may show fewer rows than the full MeritLog job search. That is on purpose. A false negative is safer here than a job card for a different role. Each card keeps its employer, place, source, and seen date. The cards do not change the BLS wage data.

Open one listing and read its own pay, work place, level, and needs. Compare its posted range with the BLS spread only as context. A posted range is set by an employer for one role. The BLS range is a survey view across many jobs. Neither source proves that a person is fit for the work.

When you tailor a résumé, use work facts you can back up. Do not turn $31,200 into a skill or result. Do not copy a BLS job count into your work history. MeritLog can help shape confirmed experience for a chosen listing. The wage page stays public and read only. It does not save a job or create a résumé on page load.

What this Fast Food and Counter Workers page does not claim

This page does not say what one Fast Food and Counter Workers worker earns. It does not promise that a job pays the median. It does not state a starting wage. It does not explain why the mean and median differ. It does not add benefits, tips, stock, bonus pay, taxes, or work hours unless BLS includes them in the published wage measure.

The page does not count people who work for themselves. It does not turn 3,854,050 into current openings. It does not read private MeritLog jobs or Career Memory. MeritLog does not use the page to build a private career profile. While public analytics are on, GA4, Ahrefs, and Meta may get this page's URL. Use Your Privacy Choices or Global Privacy Control to turn that off. The page does not send its text to a model.

The best use is narrow and clear. Read the May 2025 BLS wage range. Check how the role changes by place. Add the separate 2024 BEA price level when an exact row exists. Inspect a dated employer-title match. Then make a résumé choice from facts you have confirmed. Keep each source tied to the question it can answer.