Fast Food and Counter Workers Salary
Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations · 3.9M employed in the U.S.
Median annual
$31,200
Median hourly
$15
Average annual
$32,150
Typical range
$22,840–$42,650
Pay distribution
10th to 90th percentile, with the median marked.
What this role pays
The median annual salary for Fast Food and Counter Workers is $31,200 as of May 2025, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. That works out to about $15 an hour at a full-time schedule.
Perform duties such as taking orders and serving food and beverages. Serve customers at counter or from a steam table.
Most earn between $22,840 and $42,650 a year. There are roughly 3.9M people employed as fast food and counter workers in the United States. Use the state and metro pages below to see how pay changes by location, and the calculator to convert any hourly or annual figure.
Salary calculator
Convert your pay and see where it lands for Fast Food and Counter Workers.
- Hourly
- $15.00
- Daily
- $120
- Weekly
- $600
- Bi-weekly
- $1,200
- Monthly
- $2,600
- Annual
- $31,200
$31,200 a year is around the 50th percentile for Fast Food and Counter Workerss. The median is $31,200.
Highest-paying states
Median annual wage by state.
- 1California$42,280
- 2Washington$37,710
- 3District of Columbia$37,430
- 4Colorado$36,270
- 5Vermont$36,030
- 6Massachusetts$35,850
- 7Connecticut$35,380
- 8Hawaii$35,250
- 9New York$35,250
- 10Oregon$35,050
- 11Maine$34,710
- 12Arizona$34,230
Top-paying metro areas
Median annual wage by metro area.
- 1Napa, CA$45,410
- 2San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$44,570
- 3Vallejo, CA$44,110
- 4San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$43,870
- 5Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA$43,610
- 6Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA$43,400
- 7Salinas, CA$43,260
- 8Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA$42,940
- 9Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$42,860
- 10Modesto, CA$42,630
- 11Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$42,370
- 12San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA$42,350
Related job titles
Employers advertise Fast Food and Counter Workers roles under these titles.
Related occupations
What a Fast Food and Counter Workers does
- Clean and organize eating, service, and kitchen areas.
- Prepare daily food items, and cook simple foods and beverages, such as sandwiches, salads, soups, pizza, or coffee, using proper safety precautions and sanitary measures.
- Serve customers in eating places that specialize in fast service and inexpensive carry-out food.
- Collect and return dirty dishes to the kitchen for washing.
- Monitor and order supplies or food items, and restock as necessary to maintain inventory.
- Notify kitchen personnel of shortages or special orders.
- Accept payment from customers, and make change as necessary.
- Request and record customer orders, and compute bills, using cash registers, multi-counting machines, or pencil and paper.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Fast Food and Counter Workers make?
- The median annual wage for Fast Food and Counter Workers is $31,200 ($15 per hour). Pay ranges from about $22,840 at the 10th percentile to $42,650 at the 90th percentile.
- What is the average salary for a Fast Food and Counter Workers?
- The average (mean) annual salary is $32,150, which is higher than the median because a small number of high earners pull the average up.
- Which state pays Fast Food and Counter Workerss the most?
- California has the highest median annual wage for this occupation at $42,280.
- Is Fast Food and Counter Workers a growing occupation?
- BLS employment data for May 2025 counts about 3.9M people in this occupation. Projected growth is published separately in the BLS Employment Projections program.
- What does a Fast Food and Counter Workers do?
- Clean and organize eating, service, and kitchen areas.; Prepare daily food items, and cook simple foods and beverages, such as sandwiches, salads, soups, pizza, or coffee, using proper safety precautions and sanitary measures.; Serve customers in eating places that specialize in fast service and inexpensive carry-out food..