Fast Food and Counter Workers Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for fast food and counter workers in the U.S. is $31,200 ($15.00 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $31,200
- Mean annual wage
- $32,150
- Median hourly wage
- $15.00
- Employment
- 3,854,050
3,854,050 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $22,840 | $10.98 |
| 25th percentile | $27,700 | $13.32 |
| Median (50th) | $31,200 | $15.00 |
| 75th percentile | $36,070 | $17.34 |
| 90th percentile | $42,650 | $20.51 |
Highest-paying states for fast food and counter workers
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| California | $42,280 | 449,840 |
| Washington | $37,710 | 94,710 |
| District of Columbia | $37,430 | 5,500 |
| Colorado | $36,270 | 82,010 |
| Vermont | $36,030 | 6,830 |
| Massachusetts | $35,850 | 85,810 |
| Connecticut | $35,380 | 35,720 |
| Hawaii | $35,250 | 24,130 |
| New York | $35,250 | 168,620 |
| Oregon | $35,050 | 59,920 |
Lowest-paying states
- Mississippi: $22,610 median annual wage
- Louisiana: $22,800 median annual wage
- Oklahoma: $23,430 median annual wage
- Alabama: $23,700 median annual wage
- West Virginia: $26,070 median annual wage
Fast Food and Counter Workers salary by state
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Related occupations
- Waiters and Waitresses$35,230
- Cooks, Restaurant$37,390
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers$44,080
- Food Preparation Workers$35,320
- Bartenders$34,340
- Cooks, Fast Food$30,890
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers$33,980
- Dishwashers$34,810
About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.