Fast Food and Counter Worker Salary in the U.S.
Median annual pay in the U.S.
$31,200
$15.00/hour
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Pay
| Annual | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $22,840 | $10.98 |
| 25th percentile | $27,700 | $13.32 |
| Median | $31,200 | $15.00 |
| 75th percentile | $36,070 | $17.34 |
| 90th percentile | $42,650 | $20.51 |
Employment
- Employment in the U.S.
- 3,854,050
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Comparison
Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
| Rank | Median annual pay | Adjusted for cost of living (annual) |
|---|---|---|
| California | ||
| 1st | $42,280 | $38,186 1st |
| Washington | ||
| 2nd | $37,710 | $35,239 4th |
| District of Columbia | ||
| 3rd | $37,430 | $34,058 7th |
| Colorado | ||
| 4th | $36,270 | $35,196 5th |
| Vermont | ||
| 5th | $36,030 | $36,781 2nd |
| Massachusetts | ||
| 6th | $35,850 | $33,898 11th |
| Connecticut | ||
| 7th | $35,380 | $34,147 6th |
| Hawaii | ||
| 8th | $35,250 | $32,060 20th |
| New York | ||
| 8th | $35,250 | $32,663 15th |
| Oregon | ||
| 10th | $35,050 | $33,910 10th |
| Maine | ||
| 11th | $34,710 | $35,765 3rd |
| Arizona | ||
| 12th | $34,230 | $34,000 8th |
| New Jersey | ||
| 13th | $34,150 | $31,386 23rd |
| Illinois | ||
| 14th | $33,910 | $33,924 9th |
| Maryland | ||
| 15th | $33,660 | $32,070 19th |
| Alaska | ||
| 16th | $33,280 | $32,513 16th |
| Nevada | ||
| 17th | $31,950 | $31,957 21st |
| New Hampshire | ||
| 18th | $31,590 | $30,327 32nd |
| Rhode Island | ||
| 19th | $31,490 | $30,788 27th |
| Minnesota | ||
| 20th | $31,370 | $31,809 22nd |
| Delaware | ||
| 21st | $31,300 | $31,360 24th |
| Missouri | ||
| 22nd | $30,390 | $33,463 13th |
| Virginia | ||
| 23rd | $30,110 | $29,781 40th |
| North Dakota | ||
| 24th | $30,080 | $33,813 12th |
| South Dakota | ||
| 25th | $29,490 | $33,290 14th |
| Montana | ||
| 26th | $29,090 | $30,736 28th |
| Florida | ||
| 27th | $29,080 | $28,120 46th |
| Nebraska | ||
| 28th | $29,000 | $32,185 18th |
| Idaho | ||
| 29th | $28,940 | $30,306 33rd |
| Michigan | ||
| 30th | $28,930 | $30,067 37th |
| Indiana | ||
| 31st | $28,790 | $30,848 26th |
| New Mexico | ||
| 32nd | $28,700 | $31,124 25th |
| Utah | ||
| 33rd | $28,670 | $28,999 44th |
| Wisconsin | ||
| 34th | $28,600 | $30,395 31st |
| North Carolina | ||
| 35th | $28,570 | $30,289 34th |
| Pennsylvania | ||
| 35th | $28,570 | $29,281 42nd |
| Ohio | ||
| 37th | $28,430 | $30,644 29th |
| Iowa | ||
| 38th | $28,390 | $32,349 17th |
| Wyoming | ||
| 39th | $27,860 | $30,057 38th |
| Texas | ||
| 40th | $27,740 | $28,581 45th |
| Kansas | ||
| 41st | $27,580 | $30,621 30th |
| South Carolina | ||
| 42nd | $27,520 | $29,355 41st |
| Tennessee | ||
| 43rd | $27,470 | $29,901 39th |
| Kentucky | ||
| 44th | $27,130 | $30,091 36th |
| Georgia | ||
| 45th | $26,920 | $27,956 47th |
| Arkansas | ||
| 46th | $26,250 | $30,194 35th |
| West Virginia | ||
| 47th | $26,070 | $29,129 43rd |
| Alabama | ||
| 48th | $23,700 | $26,682 48th |
| Oklahoma | ||
| 49th | $23,430 | $26,673 49th |
| Louisiana | ||
| 50th | $22,800 | $25,848 51st |
| Mississippi | ||
| 51st | $22,610 | $26,003 50th |
Places with the same median share a rank and are listed alphabetically.
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Similar occupations
Related occupations from O*NET, in O*NET's order, with their BLS median pay. Each figure shows the place it is for.
- Food Preparation Worker salary in the U.S.
$35,320/year U.S.
- Waiter and Waitress salary in the U.S.
$35,230/year U.S.
- Dishwasher salary in the U.S.
$34,810/year U.S.
- Bartender salary in the U.S.
$34,340/year U.S.
- Chef and Head Cook salary in the U.S.
$62,470/year U.S.
- Baker salary in the U.S.
$37,160/year U.S.
Outlook
- Projected employment change, 2025–35 (U.S.)
- +5.8%
- Typical education needed for entry (U.S.)
- No formal educational credential
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
Specialties included in this occupation
- Baristas
BLS publishes one wage figure for all Fast Food and Counter Workers; it does not publish separate data for these specialties.
O*NET 31.0
Sources and update
- Wages and employment: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.
- Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
- Related occupations and specialties: O*NET® 31.0 Database, CC BY 4.0. Attributions
- Employment projections and typical education: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35.
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