Bartenders
Median $34,340
Occupation · SOC 35-3023
Fast Food and Counter Workers: pay and where the jobs are
What fast food and counter workers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$31,200 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $32,150
- Median hourly wage
- $15.00
- Mean hourly wage
- $15.46
- Employment
- 3,854,050
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 35-3023.
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See where your pay falls among fast food and counter workers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do fast food and counter workers make?
The median annual wage for fast food and counter workers was $31,200 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $22,840 and the highest-paid 10% more than $42,650. As an hourly rate, the median is $15.00. About 3,854,050 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in California ($42,280), Washington ($37,710) and District of Columbia ($37,430). California also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for fast food and counter workers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $22,840 | $10.98 | $1,903 | $1,702 |
| 25th percentile | $27,700 | $13.32 | $2,308 | $2,035 |
| Median | $31,200 | $15.00 | $2,600 | $2,271 |
| 75th percentile | $36,070 | $17.34 | $3,006 | $2,597 |
| 90th percentile | $42,650 | $20.51 | $3,554 | $3,037 |
Fast Food and Counter Workers: pay by state
54 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$31,547 take-home in national prices
2
$30,990 take-home in national prices
3
$29,985 take-home in national prices
Where a median fast food and counter worker paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 449,840 | $42,280 | $35,530 | $47,950 | $34,928 | $31,547 |
| Washington | 94,710 | $37,710 | $35,050 | $47,860 | $31,957 | $29,863 |
| District of Columbia | 5,500 | $37,430 | $37,260 | $46,800 | $31,175 | $28,367 |
| Colorado | 82,010 | $36,270 | $31,040 | $44,100 | $30,276 | $29,379 |
| Vermont | 6,830 | $36,030 | $30,450 | $46,080 | $30,357 | $30,990 |
| Massachusetts | 85,810 | $35,850 | $31,290 | $38,700 | $29,248 | $27,656 |
| Connecticut | 35,720 | $35,380 | $34,010 | $39,660 | $29,588 | $28,557 |
| Hawaii | 24,130 | $35,250 | $29,120 | $45,140 | $29,325 | $26,671 |
| New York | 168,620 | $35,250 | $32,240 | $44,740 | $29,013 | $26,884 |
| Oregon | 59,920 | $35,050 | $30,950 | $44,370 | $28,044 | $27,132 |
| Maine | 17,250 | $34,710 | $30,740 | $42,640 | $29,101 | $29,985 |
| Arizona | 77,210 | $34,230 | $30,760 | $43,990 | $29,222 | $29,025 |
| New Jersey | 93,730 | $34,150 | $32,220 | $39,130 | $28,821 | $26,489 |
| Illinois | 127,590 | $33,910 | $31,200 | $37,330 | $27,893 | $27,905 |
| Maryland | 49,380 | $33,660 | $31,200 | $37,390 | $27,993 | $26,670 |
| Alaska | 5,900 | $33,280 | $24,830 | $45,170 | $28,754 | $28,091 |
| Nevada | 45,850 | $31,950 | $26,630 | $42,860 | $27,852 | $27,858 |
| New Hampshire | 14,540 | $31,590 | $22,580 | $38,440 | $27,563 | $26,460 |
| Rhode Island | 13,310 | $31,490 | $31,200 | $36,540 | $26,572 | $25,979 |
| Minnesota | 58,970 | $31,370 | $28,190 | $37,140 | $26,388 | $26,757 |
| Delaware | 13,310 | $31,300 | $31,200 | $37,530 | $26,144 | $26,194 |
| Missouri | 29,360 | $30,390 | $28,600 | $36,830 | $26,107 | $28,747 |
| Virginia | 104,460 | $30,110 | $27,130 | $37,550 | $25,456 | $25,178 |
| North Dakota | 11,470 | $30,080 | $22,750 | $37,380 | $26,349 | $29,620 |
| South Dakota | 15,150 | $29,490 | $27,880 | $36,380 | $25,875 | $29,209 |
| Montana | 14,960 | $29,090 | $22,760 | $36,780 | $24,943 | $26,355 |
| Florida | 235,400 | $29,080 | $27,570 | $36,430 | $25,546 | $24,702 |
| Nebraska | 30,060 | $29,000 | $28,080 | $35,760 | $24,994 | $27,739 |
| Idaho | 25,810 | $28,940 | $20,130 | $36,330 | $25,008 | $26,188 |
| Michigan | 103,130 | $28,930 | $25,960 | $35,970 | $24,446 | $25,408 |
| Indiana | 97,290 | $28,790 | $22,110 | $35,820 | $24,493 | $26,244 |
| New Mexico | 28,250 | $28,700 | $26,670 | $36,360 | $24,931 | $27,036 |
| Utah | 52,340 | $28,670 | $21,980 | $36,670 | $24,771 | $25,055 |
| Wisconsin | 67,750 | $28,600 | $22,240 | $36,090 | $24,637 | $26,183 |
| North Carolina | 92,230 | $28,570 | $21,800 | $36,820 | $24,505 | $25,979 |
| Pennsylvania | 142,220 | $28,570 | $22,030 | $35,880 | $24,239 | $24,842 |
| Ohio | 163,560 | $28,430 | $23,200 | $34,920 | $25,022 | $26,971 |
| Iowa | 40,290 | $28,390 | $21,620 | $35,990 | $24,562 | $27,987 |
| Wyoming | 7,060 | $27,860 | $20,300 | $37,020 | $24,553 | $26,489 |
| Texas | 460,530 | $27,740 | $21,710 | $35,680 | $24,454 | $25,195 |
| Kansas | 47,140 | $27,580 | $21,620 | $34,280 | $23,552 | $26,149 |
| South Carolina | 65,070 | $27,520 | $22,340 | $35,020 | $24,024 | $25,625 |
| Tennessee | 90,690 | $27,470 | $21,850 | $35,060 | $24,232 | $26,376 |
| Kentucky | 41,860 | $27,130 | $21,590 | $34,420 | $23,120 | $25,643 |
| Georgia | 145,030 | $26,920 | $20,910 | $36,110 | $23,184 | $24,076 |
| Arkansas | 35,660 | $26,250 | $23,240 | $32,120 | $22,735 | $26,152 |
| West Virginia | 6,240 | $26,070 | $18,750 | $35,150 | $22,472 | $25,110 |
| Virgin Islands | 840 | $24,410 | $23,330 | $26,780 | — | — |
| Alabama | 41,460 | $23,700 | $21,080 | $32,740 | $20,245 | $22,792 |
| Oklahoma | 52,520 | $23,430 | $20,510 | $30,300 | $20,396 | $23,218 |
| Louisiana | 45,720 | $22,800 | $18,610 | $33,320 | $20,088 | $22,774 |
| Mississippi | 31,220 | $22,610 | $18,530 | $29,090 | $20,057 | $23,066 |
| Puerto Rico | 26,440 | $22,030 | $21,840 | $23,000 | — | — |
| Guam | 1,130 | $20,770 | $20,490 | $22,140 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 35-3023. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.