Fast food and counter workers

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

909k

Average Age

24.8

Estimated Job Growth

6.14%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$15,428

Average Male Salary

$16,596

Average Female Salary

$14,825

About

Fast food and counter workers are most often employed by the Restaurants & Food Services industry. The average yearly wage for Fast food and counter workers was $15,428 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Fast food and counter workers are Portage County PUMA, OH, Butte County--Chico City PUMA, CA, and Tucson City (Northwest) PUMA, AZ. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Fast food and counter workers are Ponce PUMA, PR, Tucson City (Northwest) PUMA, AZ, and Yolo County (South)--Davis & West Sacramento Cities PUMA, CA.

Photo by Dan Keck

Service Occupations Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Fast food and counter workers workforce. Fast food and counter workers workforce in 2024 was 908,644 people, of which 66% were women and 34% were men.

Fast food and counter workers are paid most in Dallas (Far North) & Richardson (Southwest) Cities PUMA, TX but are relatively concentrated in Ponce PUMA, PR.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

308,995

Male Workforce

± 13.6k

599,649

Female Workforce

± 19k

The Fast food and counter workers workforce in 2024 was 908,644 people (66% women and 34% men). This implies an average annual growth of 54.2% between 2018 (589,353) and 2024 (908,644).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Fast food and counter workers.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Alaska ($21,378), Washington ($20,330), and New York ($19,271).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$15,428

AVERAGE WAGE

#526 in the ranking (2018)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Fast food and counter workers earned an average of $15,428, $54,450 less than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Fast food and counter workers in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2018.

In 2024, Fast food and counter workers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.442, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Fast food and counter workers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Fast food and counter workers compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Fast food and counter workers and on wages for those in the field. Restaurants & Food Services is the industry that employs the most Fast food and counter workers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Fast food and counter workers, by average wage, is Building material & supplies dealers ($38,688).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

909k

2024 Workforce

± 23,334

7.52%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 3.44%

This graphic shows the share of Fast food and counter workers employed by various industries. Restaurants & Food Services employs the largest share of Fast food and counter workers at 94.8%, followed by Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores with 2.68% and Motion pictures & video industries with 1.3%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Fast food and counter workers in the US. The workforce of Fast food and counter workers in 2024 was 908,644 people, with 66% woman, and 34% men. The average age of male Fast food and counter workers in the workforce is 24.4 and of female Fast food and counter workers is 25, and the most common race/ethnicity for Fast food and counter workers is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Fast food and counter workers in 2024 was 908,644 people, with 66% woman, and 34% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 16 to 19 years (359,379 people), 20 to 24 years (284,805 people), and 25 to 29 years (90,629 people). Among them they concentrated 80.9% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 23.6% of Fast food and counter workers workers were Hispanic and 76.4% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (61.4%), Puerto Rican (11.8)%, and All Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino (5.3)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2024, 58.1% of the Fast food and counter workers workforce were White, of which 67.8% were women and 32.2% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Two or More Races (15.1%) and Black (11.4%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Fast food and counter workers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Fast food and counter workers is Business but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were Visual & Performing Arts.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Fast food and counter workers in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Business (11,709 people), Visual & Performing Arts (10,463 people), and Psychology (6,168 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Fast food and counter workers workers were High School or Equivalent (277,967 people), Some college (262,775 people), and Secondary Education (221,636 people).

The graphic shows the Fast food and counter workers workforce by gender and educational level.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Fast Food and Counter Workers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Fast Food and Counter Workers are expected to see a growth of 6.14% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

6.14%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Fast food and counter workers. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.