Fast food and counter workers

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2019 Workforce

688k

N/A

Average Age

26.1

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Average Salary

$12,294

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Average Male Salary

$13,100

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Average Female Salary

$11,839

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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 $12,294 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Fast food and counter workers by wage are Lifeguards & other recreational, & all other protective service workers, Tutors, and Dishwashers.

Fast food and counter workers are part of the Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations, along with Chefs & head cooks, Firstline supervisors of food preparation & serving workers, Cooks, Food preparation workers, Bartenders, and 7 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Fast food and counter workers are Yavapai County PUMA, AZ, Glendora, Claremont, San Dimas & La Verne Cities PUMA, CA, and Federal Way, Des Moines Cities & Vashon Island PUMA, WA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Fast food and counter workers are Federal Way, Des Moines Cities & Vashon Island PUMA, WA, Madera City PUMA, CA, and Ames City PUMA, IA.

Photo by Dan Keck

Service Occupations Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Fast food and counter workers and on wages and locations 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 Gasoline stations. Fast food and counter workers are paid most in Jacksonville City PUMA, NC but are relatively concentrated in Federal Way, Des Moines Cities & Vashon Island PUMA, WA.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$12,294

AVERAGE SALARY

± $473

In 2019, Fast food and counter workers earned an average of $12,294, $43,230 less than than the average national salary of $55,524.

Dishwashers make somewhat more than Fast food and counter workers while Lifeguards & other recreational, & all other protective service workers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Fast food and counter workers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.438

WAGE GINI

In 2019, Fast food and counter workers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.438, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. 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).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Fast food and counter workers.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Fast food and counter workers

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Fast food and counter workers.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Fast food and counter workers, by number of employees, are Restaurants & Food Services, Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores, and Motion pictures & video industries.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Fast food and counter workers, by average wage, are Gasoline stations, Traveler accommodation, Not specified retail trade, Specialty food stores, General merchandise stores, including warehouse clubs and supercenters, and Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores.

Industries by Share

688k

2019 Workforce

± 20,311

24%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 3.57%

The number of people employed as Fast food and counter workers has been growing at a rate of 24%, from 554,226 people in 2018 to 687,514 people in 2019.

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 86.6%, followed by Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores with 2.81% and Motion pictures & video industries with 2.19%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Fast food and counter workers in the US. The average age of male Fast food and counter workers in the workforce is 24.5 and of female Fast food and counter workers is 27, and the most common race/ethnicity for Fast food and counter workers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

248k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 12,213

440k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 16,256

63.9% of Fast food and counter workers are Female, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Fast food and counter workers.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Fast food and counter workers

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

56.1% of Fast food and counter workers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 13% of Fast food and counter workers, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Fast food and counter workers.

Age by Gender

24.5

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.532

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.476

The median age of Fast food and counter workers is 26.1, and Male employees are generally 2.51 years younger than than their Female counterparts.

Education

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 a relatively high number of Fast food and counter workers hold a major in Parks, Recreation, & Leisure.