Fast Food and Counter Workers pay in the U.S.
$32,150avg. a year
$15.46 an hour · 3,854,050 employed
Fast Food and Counter Workers in the U.S. earn an average of $32,150 a year and a median of $31,200. Pay is highest in California ($41,680) and lowest in Mississippi ($23,880).
$31,200Median pay
$15.46Average hourly
+31%Avg. pay since 2020
3,854,050Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for fast food and counter workers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1449,840 jobs
California
$41,680
$20.04 an hour
294,710 jobs
Washington
$40,390
$19.42 an hour
35,500 jobs
District of Columbia
$39,840
$19.16 an hour
46,830 jobs
Vermont
$37,610
$18.08 an hour
5168,620 jobs
New York
$36,920
$17.75 an hour
682,010 jobs
Colorado
$36,890
$17.74 an hour
735,720 jobs
Connecticut
$36,330
$17.47 an hour
859,920 jobs
Oregon
$36,200
$17.41 an hour
917,250 jobs
Maine
$35,880
$17.25 an hour
1085,810 jobs
Massachusetts
$35,880
$17.25 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Fast Food and Counter Workers pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $28k$28k–$31k$31k–$35k$35k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $44,980 | $21.62 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $44,620 | $21.45 |
| Napa, CA | $44,010 | $21.16 |
| Vallejo, CA | $42,760 | $20.56 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $42,640 | $20.50 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $42,260 | $20.32 |
| Salinas, CA | $41,880 | $20.13 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $41,850 | $20.12 |
Related jobs
- Waiters and Waitresses$40,060
- Bartenders$40,790
- Food Servers, Nonrestaurant$36,140
- Cooks, Restaurant$38,730
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers$46,180
- Food Preparation Workers$35,290
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Fast Food and Counter Workers pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $25,600 | $23,700 | 41,460 |
| Alaska | $34,500 | $33,280 | 5,900 |
| Arizona | $35,090 | $34,230 | 77,210 |
| Arkansas | $26,890 | $26,250 | 35,660 |
| California | $41,680 | $42,280 | 449,840 |
| Colorado | $36,890 | $36,270 | 82,010 |
| Connecticut | $36,330 | $35,380 | 35,720 |
| Delaware | $33,650 | $31,300 | 13,310 |
| District of Columbia | $39,840 | $37,430 | 5,500 |
| Florida | $30,940 | $29,080 | 235,400 |
| Georgia | $27,290 | $26,920 | 145,030 |
| Hawaii | $35,810 | $35,250 | 24,130 |
| Idaho | $28,630 | $28,940 | 25,810 |
| Illinois | $34,280 | $33,910 | 127,590 |
| Indiana | $28,980 | $28,790 | 97,290 |
| Iowa | $28,940 | $28,390 | 40,290 |
| Kansas | $27,190 | $27,580 | 47,140 |
| Kentucky | $26,890 | $27,130 | 41,860 |
| Louisiana | $24,580 | $22,800 | 45,720 |
| Maine | $35,880 | $34,710 | 17,250 |
| Maryland | $34,210 | $33,660 | 49,380 |
| Massachusetts | $35,880 | $35,850 | 85,810 |
| Michigan | $30,260 | $28,930 | 103,130 |
| Minnesota | $32,450 | $31,370 | 58,970 |
| Mississippi | $23,880 | $22,610 | 31,220 |
| Missouri | $32,130 | $30,390 | 29,360 |
| Montana | $30,120 | $29,090 | 14,960 |
| Nebraska | $30,910 | $29,000 | 30,060 |
| Nevada | $32,820 | $31,950 | 45,850 |
| New Hampshire | $32,120 | $31,590 | 14,540 |
| New Jersey | $35,110 | $34,150 | 93,730 |
| New Mexico | $30,260 | $28,700 | 28,250 |
| New York | $36,920 | $35,250 | 168,620 |
| North Carolina | $29,050 | $28,570 | 92,230 |
| North Dakota | $31,260 | $30,080 | 11,470 |
| Ohio | $28,900 | $28,430 | 163,560 |
| Oklahoma | $25,050 | $23,430 | 52,520 |
| Oregon | $36,200 | $35,050 | 59,920 |
| Pennsylvania | $28,930 | $28,570 | 142,220 |
| Rhode Island | $34,040 | $31,490 | 13,310 |
| South Carolina | $27,840 | $27,520 | 65,070 |
| South Dakota | $30,900 | $29,490 | 15,150 |
| Tennessee | $27,870 | $27,470 | 90,690 |
| Texas | $27,750 | $27,740 | 460,530 |
| Utah | $29,100 | $28,670 | 52,340 |
| Vermont | $37,610 | $36,030 | 6,830 |
| Virginia | $31,930 | $30,110 | 104,460 |
| Washington | $40,390 | $37,710 | 94,710 |
| West Virginia | $26,780 | $26,070 | 6,240 |
| Wisconsin | $29,110 | $28,600 | 67,750 |
| Wyoming | $27,520 | $27,860 | 7,060 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$37,130
166,040 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$41,080
160,270 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$29,350
128,380 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$27,630
105,810 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$34,690
97,280 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$28,340
80,730 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$31,880
69,080 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$35,550
60,560 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do fast food and counter workers make?
The average is $32,150 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $31,200 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $15.46, and the median is $15.00 an hour.
Which state pays fast food and counter workers the most?
California, with an average of $41,680 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $44,980.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $22,840 a year, and the top 10% earn over $42,650.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 35-3023. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.