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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

35-3023 Fast Food and Counter Workers

Perform duties such as taking orders and serving food and beverages. Serve customers at counter or from a steam table. May take payment. May prepare food and beverages. Counter attendants who also wait tables are included in “Waiters and Waitresses” (35-3031),


National estimates for Fast Food and Counter Workers
Industry profile for Fast Food and Counter Workers
Geographic profile for Fast Food and Counter Workers

National estimates for Fast Food and Counter Workers:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Fast Food and Counter Workers:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
3,325,050 0.7 % $ 13.53 $ 28,130 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for Fast Food and Counter Workers:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 10.17 $ 11.06 $ 13.43 $ 15.13 $ 17.00
Annual Wage (2) $ 21,150 $ 23,010 $ 27,930 $ 31,480 $ 35,350


Industry profile for Fast Food and Counter Workers:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Fast Food and Counter Workers are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Fast Food and Counter Workers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Fast Food and Counter Workers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Restaurants and Other Eating Places 2,753,460 26.44 $ 13.25 $ 27,560
Special Food Services 129,360 20.31 $ 14.37 $ 29,890
Food and Beverage Retailers (4451 and 4452 only) 111,100 3.72 $ 14.99 $ 31,180
Elementary and Secondary Schools 80,740 0.96 $ 15.67 $ 32,600
Gasoline Stations 43,570 4.62 $ 13.25 $ 27,560

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Fast Food and Counter Workers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Restaurants and Other Eating Places 2,753,460 26.44 $ 13.25 $ 27,560
Special Food Services 129,360 20.31 $ 14.37 $ 29,890
Book Retailers and News Dealers 5,960 8.10 $ 13.38 $ 27,830
Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing 14,820 4.65 $ 14.76 $ 30,710
Gasoline Stations 43,570 4.62 $ 13.25 $ 27,560

Top paying industries for Fast Food and Counter Workers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 6,510 0.31 $ 19.93 $ 41,450
Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (8) (8) $ 18.43 $ 38,330
Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers 60 0.01 $ 18.02 $ 37,470
Offices of Physicians 140 0.01 $ 18.01 $ 37,450
Furniture and Home Furnishings Retailers 1,460 0.31 $ 17.62 $ 36,640


Geographic profile for Fast Food and Counter Workers:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Fast Food and Counter Workers are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Fast Food and Counter Workers, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of fast food and counter workers by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Fast Food and Counter Workers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 394,660 22.38 1.00 $ 16.60 $ 34,530
Texas 328,900 25.31 1.13 $ 11.59 $ 24,120
Florida 183,470 19.92 0.89 $ 12.41 $ 25,800
New York 183,270 20.12 0.89 $ 16.04 $ 33,370
Ohio 136,220 25.34 1.13 $ 12.07 $ 25,100


Map of location quotient of fast food and counter workers by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Fast Food and Counter Workers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hawaii 20,340 34.19 1.52 $ 14.02 $ 29,170
South Dakota 14,300 32.86 1.46 $ 12.89 $ 26,800
Montana 15,110 30.87 1.37 $ 12.80 $ 26,630
Utah 50,100 30.79 1.37 $ 12.52 $ 26,040
Arkansas 36,520 29.67 1.32 $ 12.30 $ 25,580


Map of annual mean wages of fast food and counter workers by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Fast Food and Counter Workers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 6,210 9.00 0.40 $ 17.33 $ 36,040
Washington 98,870 29.03 1.29 $ 16.81 $ 34,960
California 394,660 22.38 1.00 $ 16.60 $ 34,530
Massachusetts 86,230 24.18 1.08 $ 16.12 $ 33,520
New York 183,270 20.12 0.89 $ 16.04 $ 33,370



Map of employment of fast food and counter workers by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Fast Food and Counter Workers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 164,140 17.87 0.79 $ 16.08 $ 33,450
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 140,830 23.09 1.03 $ 16.43 $ 34,180
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 101,030 26.55 1.18 $ 12.14 $ 25,260
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 92,840 21.02 0.93 $ 14.28 $ 29,700
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 68,660 22.48 1.00 $ 11.74 $ 24,420
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 62,470 22.90 1.02 $ 11.65 $ 24,230
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 61,140 22.07 0.98 $ 13.26 $ 27,570
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 60,330 22.31 0.99 $ 16.22 $ 33,730
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 58,120 26.18 1.16 $ 15.53 $ 32,300
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 56,650 18.71 0.83 $ 15.12 $ 31,440


Map of location quotient of fast food and counter workers by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Fast Food and Counter Workers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Flagstaff, AZ 3,300 53.42 2.38 $ 14.46 $ 30,070
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ 2,760 50.74 2.26 $ 14.12 $ 29,360
Muskegon, MI 2,900 47.54 2.11 $ 12.62 $ 26,250
Bay City, MI 1,530 45.39 2.02 $ 12.33 $ 25,640
Lawrence, KS 2,160 44.43 1.98 $ 11.39 $ 23,680
Muncie, IN 1,920 43.42 1.93 $ 11.42 $ 23,750
Kokomo, IN 1,480 42.42 1.89 $ 12.15 $ 25,280
Grants Pass, OR 1,190 40.99 1.82 $ 14.26 $ 29,670
Rapid City, SD 2,790 39.92 1.78 $ 12.73 $ 26,480
Valdosta, GA 2,090 39.31 1.75 $ 10.06 $ 20,920


Map of annual mean wages of fast food and counter workers by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Fast Food and Counter Workers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 18,620 16.58 0.74 $ 18.80 $ 39,110
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 43,310 18.10 0.80 $ 18.38 $ 38,220
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 54,880 26.93 1.20 $ 17.49 $ 36,370
Napa, CA 1,400 18.93 0.84 $ 17.32 $ 36,020
Santa Rosa, CA 4,430 21.81 0.97 $ 17.13 $ 35,620
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 3,880 28.17 1.25 $ 16.86 $ 35,060
Salinas, CA 4,060 22.36 0.99 $ 16.62 $ 34,570
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 2,660 27.51 1.22 $ 16.53 $ 34,380
Barnstable Town, MA 3,300 32.96 1.47 $ 16.47 $ 34,270
Kennewick-Richland, WA 4,240 34.84 1.55 $ 16.47 $ 34,250

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Fast Food and Counter Workers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 9,570 24.97 1.11 $ 11.21 $ 23,320
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 8,300 25.79 1.15 $ 11.43 $ 23,770
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 7,140 27.23 1.21 $ 12.75 $ 26,520
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 7,140 26.08 1.16 $ 10.61 $ 22,070
Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 6,350 32.51 1.45 $ 10.84 $ 22,550

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Fast Food and Counter Workers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Central Utah nonmetropolitan area 2,160 38.99 1.73 $ 11.83 $ 24,610
Middle Georgia nonmetropolitan area 4,850 38.09 1.69 $ 10.66 $ 22,170
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 3,560 36.45 1.62 $ 13.87 $ 28,860
Western Washington nonmetropolitan area 4,470 35.71 1.59 $ 16.02 $ 33,330
North Arkansas nonmetropolitan area 4,110 35.27 1.57 $ 12.22 $ 25,410

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Fast Food and Counter Workers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 1,840 29.95 1.33 $ 16.72 $ 34,770
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 1,780 29.30 1.30 $ 16.14 $ 33,560
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area 2,440 23.43 1.04 $ 16.08 $ 33,440
Western Washington nonmetropolitan area 4,470 35.71 1.59 $ 16.02 $ 33,330
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 2,370 23.47 1.04 $ 15.93 $ 33,140


About May 2022 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023