Salary Range & Percentiles
Pay distribution across experience levels
- 10th Percentile — Entry Level$22,840
- 25th Percentile — Junior$27,700
- 50th Percentile — Median$31,200
- 75th Percentile — Senior$36,070
- 90th Percentile — Top Earners$42,650
The top 10% of Fast Food and Counter Workers earn $42,650 or more per year. Entry-level professionals can expect to start around $22,840, with significant growth over the first 5 years.
What Fast Food and Counter Workers Do
Role, training and entry requirements
Fast food and counter workers take orders, prepare simple food and drinks, handle payments, and keep counters and dining areas clean. The category covers quick-service restaurants, coffee shops, cafeterias, concession stands, and food counters inside other businesses.
How to become one
No formal education or experience is usually required; training happens on the job in a few days. Many workers are students or people entering the workforce, and food-safety certification may be needed in some states.
Salary by State
Geographic salary comparison
| State | Avg Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|
| California | $41,680 | +29.6% |
| Washington | $40,390 | +25.6% |
| District of Columbia | $39,840 | +23.9% |
| Vermont | $37,610 | +17.0% |
| New York | $36,920 | +14.8% |
| Colorado | $36,890 | +14.7% |
| Connecticut | $36,330 | +13.0% |
| Oregon | $36,200 | +12.6% |
| Maine | $35,880 | +11.6% |
| Massachusetts | $35,880 | +11.6% |
| Hawaii | $35,810 | +11.4% |
| New Jersey | $35,110 | +9.2% |
| Arizona | $35,090 | +9.1% |
| Alaska | $34,500 | +7.3% |
| Illinois | $34,280 | +6.6% |
| Maryland | $34,210 | +6.4% |
| Rhode Island | $34,040 | +5.9% |
| Delaware | $33,650 | +4.7% |
| Nevada | $32,820 | +2.1% |
| Minnesota | $32,450 | +0.9% |
| Missouri | $32,130 | -0.1% |
| New Hampshire | $32,120 | -0.1% |
| Virginia | $31,930 | -0.7% |
| North Dakota | $31,260 | -2.8% |
| Florida | $30,940 | -3.8% |
| Nebraska | $30,910 | -3.9% |
| South Dakota | $30,900 | -3.9% |
| Michigan | $30,260 | -5.9% |
| New Mexico | $30,260 | -5.9% |
| Montana | $30,120 | -6.3% |
| Wisconsin | $29,110 | -9.5% |
| Utah | $29,100 | -9.5% |
| North Carolina | $29,050 | -9.6% |
| Indiana | $28,980 | -9.9% |
| Iowa | $28,940 | -10.0% |
| Pennsylvania | $28,930 | -10.0% |
| Ohio | $28,900 | -10.1% |
| Idaho | $28,630 | -10.9% |
| Tennessee | $27,870 | -13.3% |
| South Carolina | $27,840 | -13.4% |
| Texas | $27,750 | -13.7% |
| Wyoming | $27,520 | -14.4% |
| Georgia | $27,290 | -15.1% |
| Kansas | $27,190 | -15.4% |
| Arkansas | $26,890 | -16.4% |
| Kentucky | $26,890 | -16.4% |
| West Virginia | $26,780 | -16.7% |
| Alabama | $25,600 | -20.4% |
| Oklahoma | $25,050 | -22.1% |
| Louisiana | $24,580 | -23.5% |
| Mississippi | $23,880 | -25.7% |
What Factors Affect Fast Food and Counter Workers Salary?
Key factors affecting compensation
Pay for Fast Food and Counter Workers is influenced by geographic location, years of experience, employer type, and educational background. Location alone is a large factor: California pays an average of $41,680, while Mississippi pays $23,880 — a gap of $17,800 per year.
This is one of the lowest-paid occupations nationally, and state and local minimum-wage laws are the biggest driver of differences between states. Tips at counter-service businesses and shift differentials for late hours can add to base pay, and moving into a shift lead or supervisor role is the most common path to higher earnings.
These figures are the wages employers report to BLS: base pay plus commissions, production bonuses and tips. They exclude overtime pay, shift differentials, year-end bonuses, benefits and self-employed workers, so total compensation can be higher than the numbers shown.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) · May 2025
Compare with Similar Jobs
Related career salary benchmarks
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation $46,180/yr United States +43.6% vs this role
- Cooks Fast Food $32,390/yr United States +0.7% vs this role
- Cooks Institution and Cafeteria $38,810/yr United States +20.7% vs this role
- Cooks Restaurant $38,730/yr United States +20.5% vs this role
- Bartenders $40,790/yr United States +26.9% vs this role
- Waiters and Waitresses $40,060/yr United States +24.6% vs this role
- Registered Nurses $101,420/yr United States +215.5% vs this role
- Nurse Practitioners $137,300/yr United States +327.1% vs this role
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this salary
What is the average salary for Fast Food and Counter Workers?
The average salary for Fast Food and Counter Workers in the United States is $32,150 per year, with a median of $31,200.
What is the starting salary for Fast Food and Counter Workers?
Entry-level Fast Food and Counter Workers typically earn between $22,840 and $27,700 per year depending on location and employer.
What state pays Fast Food and Counter Workers the most?
California pays Fast Food and Counter Workers the most at $41,680 per year on average, followed by Washington ($40,390) and District of Columbia ($39,840).
How much do Fast Food and Counter Workers make per hour?
Based on the average annual salary of $32,150, Fast Food and Counter Workers earn approximately $15.46 per hour (based on 2,080 working hours/year).
Is Fast Food and Counter Workers a good career in 2026?
BLS counts 3,854,050 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the United States, with a mean annual wage of $32,150 and a median of $31,200 (OEWS May 2025). This site does not publish job-growth projections; the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook covers the outlook for each occupation.
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