Fast Food and Counter Worker Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

Fast Food and Counter Workers earn a median of $31,200 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 39% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $15.00/hr. The middle half earn between $27,700 and $36,070. The top 10% earn $42,650 or more.

The median hourly wage for fast food and counter workers is $15.00 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). On a full-year basis the $31,200 annual median works out to about $2,600 a month before tax.

BLS does not publish a starting salary. The nearest measure is the low end of the pay range: the lowest-paid 10% of fast food and counter workers earn less than $22,840 a year and the bottom quarter less than $27,700 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). New workers often start near that end, but where a particular job starts depends on the employer, the state and the credentials you bring, so read these as the bottom of the range rather than a guaranteed entry wage.

The highest state medians for Fast Food and Counter Workers are California ($42,280), Washington ($37,710), District of Columbia ($37,430) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

BLS does not split fast food and counter workers' pay by specialty or employer, but its range shows how far the top end runs: the highest-paid 10% earn more than $42,650, against a median of $31,200 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Location moves pay the most in the published data: the best-paying states are California ($42,280), Washington ($37,710), District of Columbia ($37,430).

No. BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry requirement for Fast Food and Counter Workers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as some preparation. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 56.3% hold less than a high school diploma.

BLS does not publish a fixed length; it depends on the route. What it does publish: the typical way in for fast food workers is no formal educational credential. Once hired, BLS lists short-term on-the-job training as typical. O*NET classes the work as needing some preparation.

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 5.8% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 827,400 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

Food and beverage serving and related workers take and prepare orders, clear tables, and do other tasks associated with providing food and drink to customers. A core O*NET task: communicate with customers regarding orders, comments, and complaints. Employers most often ask for Office suite software, Operating system software, Spreadsheet software.

Most work fewer than 40. In O*NET's survey of people in the job, 17% of fast food and counter workers usually work more than 40 hours a week, 20% work exactly 40 and 63% work fewer. 88% say their schedule is regular and 6% irregular, and 7% work seasonally. Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, Work Context.

O*NET scores Fast Food and Counter Workers highest on the Conventional, Realistic and Social interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESTJ, ISFJ, ESFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.

Women make up 65.7% of fast food and counter workers, against 47.1% of all employed people: more women than in the workforce as a whole. Only 5.2% are 55 or older (23.2% across all jobs): a young workforce, with 67.0% under 25. The median worker is 22.3 years old (all workers: 42.1). Source: BLS Current Population Survey, 2025 annual averages.