Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
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) |
| 3,095,120 |
0.9 % |
$ 12.53 |
$ 26,060 |
0.4 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Fast Food and Counter Workers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 8.77 |
$ 10.56 |
$ 12.07 |
$ 14.27 |
$ 15.51 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 18,230 |
$ 21,970 |
$ 25,100 |
$ 29,680 |
$ 32,250 |
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 |
2,556,760 |
27.11 |
$ 12.26 |
$ 25,490 |
| Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) |
122,760 |
4.15 |
$ 13.94 |
$ 28,990 |
| Special Food Services |
92,810 |
19.59 |
$ 13.44 |
$ 27,960 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
92,310 |
1.14 |
$ 13.87 |
$ 28,840 |
| General Merchandise Stores |
35,890 |
1.16 |
$ 15.69 |
$ 32,640 |
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 |
2,556,760 |
27.11 |
$ 12.26 |
$ 25,490 |
| Special Food Services |
92,810 |
19.59 |
$ 13.44 |
$ 27,960 |
| Amusement Parks and Arcades |
9,650 |
6.29 |
$ 12.26 |
$ 25,490 |
| Book Stores and News Dealers |
3,360 |
6.19 |
$ 12.18 |
$ 25,330 |
| Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing |
12,280 |
4.16 |
$ 14.09 |
$ 29,320 |
Top paying industries for Fast Food and Counter Workers:
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.
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 |
360,980 |
21.84 |
0.99 |
$ 15.61 |
$ 32,460 |
| Texas |
353,500 |
28.91 |
1.32 |
$ 10.80 |
$ 22,460 |
| Florida |
178,960 |
20.80 |
0.95 |
$ 11.20 |
$ 23,290 |
| New York |
161,790 |
18.66 |
0.85 |
$ 14.96 |
$ 31,120 |
| Pennsylvania |
121,170 |
21.70 |
0.99 |
$ 11.25 |
$ 23,400 |
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 |
17,560 |
32.03 |
1.46 |
$ 13.85 |
$ 28,810 |
| South Dakota |
12,620 |
29.96 |
1.36 |
$ 12.09 |
$ 25,150 |
| Utah |
45,490 |
29.26 |
1.33 |
$ 11.89 |
$ 24,730 |
| Oregon |
53,030 |
29.05 |
1.32 |
$ 14.42 |
$ 30,000 |
| Arkansas |
34,530 |
28.99 |
1.32 |
$ 11.68 |
$ 24,290 |
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 |
6,070 |
9.17 |
0.42 |
$ 16.56 |
$ 34,450 |
| Washington |
88,330 |
27.55 |
1.25 |
$ 15.82 |
$ 32,910 |
| California |
360,980 |
21.84 |
0.99 |
$ 15.61 |
$ 32,460 |
| Massachusetts |
78,480 |
23.12 |
1.05 |
$ 14.99 |
$ 31,170 |
| Arizona |
51,240 |
17.79 |
0.81 |
$ 14.98 |
$ 31,150 |
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 |
137,630 |
15.86 |
0.72 |
$ 15.12 |
$ 31,450 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
132,740 |
23.21 |
1.06 |
$ 15.33 |
$ 31,890 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
107,860 |
30.05 |
1.37 |
$ 11.35 |
$ 23,610 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
84,090 |
19.87 |
0.90 |
$ 12.77 |
$ 26,560 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
73,130 |
25.24 |
1.15 |
$ 11.04 |
$ 22,960 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
63,520 |
24.55 |
1.12 |
$ 11.60 |
$ 24,120 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
57,440 |
19.59 |
0.89 |
$ 13.99 |
$ 29,100 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
55,350 |
21.41 |
0.97 |
$ 15.00 |
$ 31,210 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
51,870 |
19.54 |
0.89 |
$ 12.33 |
$ 25,650 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
48,180 |
25.12 |
1.14 |
$ 16.46 |
$ 34,240 |
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) |
| Lubbock, TX |
6,560 |
45.87 |
2.09 |
$ 10.14 |
$ 21,100 |
| Grants Pass, OR |
1,160 |
41.04 |
1.87 |
$ 13.58 |
$ 28,250 |
| Lawrence, KS |
1,870 |
40.75 |
1.85 |
$ 10.39 |
$ 21,600 |
| Muncie, IN |
1,770 |
40.63 |
1.85 |
$ 10.60 |
$ 22,050 |
| Bay City, MI |
1,300 |
40.62 |
1.85 |
$ 11.80 |
$ 24,540 |
| Killeen-Temple, TX |
5,610 |
40.20 |
1.83 |
$ 10.20 |
$ 21,220 |
| Muskegon, MI |
2,280 |
40.13 |
1.83 |
$ 11.50 |
$ 23,930 |
| Monroe, MI |
1,440 |
39.77 |
1.81 |
$ 11.82 |
$ 24,590 |
| Kokomo, IN |
1,420 |
39.38 |
1.79 |
$ 11.20 |
$ 23,300 |
| Hinesville, GA |
740 |
38.72 |
1.76 |
$ 10.96 |
$ 22,810 |
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 |
17,430 |
16.31 |
0.74 |
$ 17.83 |
$ 37,090 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
39,970 |
17.83 |
0.81 |
$ 17.48 |
$ 36,360 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
48,180 |
25.12 |
1.14 |
$ 16.46 |
$ 34,240 |
| Napa, CA |
1,260 |
18.30 |
0.83 |
$ 16.37 |
$ 34,050 |
| Santa Rosa, CA |
4,400 |
22.92 |
1.04 |
$ 15.93 |
$ 33,130 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA |
3,810 |
29.38 |
1.34 |
$ 15.78 |
$ 32,820 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA |
2,450 |
26.20 |
1.19 |
$ 15.74 |
$ 32,730 |
| Salinas, CA |
3,590 |
21.21 |
0.97 |
$ 15.65 |
$ 32,550 |
| Olympia-Tumwater, WA |
3,290 |
29.39 |
1.34 |
$ 15.59 |
$ 32,430 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA |
1,390 |
29.51 |
1.34 |
$ 15.57 |
$ 32,390 |
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) |
| North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area |
9,230 |
34.73 |
1.58 |
$ 9.81 |
$ 20,410 |
| Kansas nonmetropolitan area |
8,790 |
23.41 |
1.07 |
$ 10.56 |
$ 21,970 |
| North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) |
7,740 |
24.62 |
1.12 |
$ 10.69 |
$ 22,230 |
| Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area |
7,020 |
27.77 |
1.26 |
$ 11.87 |
$ 24,690 |
| South Georgia nonmetropolitan area |
6,000 |
32.64 |
1.49 |
$ 10.26 |
$ 21,330 |
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 |
2,000 |
37.60 |
1.71 |
$ 11.72 |
$ 24,370 |
| Central Oregon nonmetropolitan area |
2,230 |
36.76 |
1.67 |
$ 13.54 |
$ 28,160 |
| North Arkansas nonmetropolitan area |
3,980 |
35.23 |
1.60 |
$ 11.35 |
$ 23,620 |
| North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area |
9,230 |
34.73 |
1.58 |
$ 9.81 |
$ 20,410 |
| Big Thicket Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area |
3,520 |
33.91 |
1.54 |
$ 10.07 |
$ 20,940 |
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 |
1,670 |
28.93 |
1.32 |
$ 15.41 |
$ 32,040 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area |
2,250 |
22.95 |
1.04 |
$ 15.15 |
$ 31,500 |
| North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area |
2,400 |
24.06 |
1.10 |
$ 15.13 |
$ 31,480 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area |
1,520 |
26.48 |
1.21 |
$ 15.12 |
$ 31,450 |
| Western Washington nonmetropolitan area |
4,050 |
33.85 |
1.54 |
$ 15.07 |
$ 31,340 |
About May 2021 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 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
