Fast food and counter workers

Detailed Occupation

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2021 Workforce

691k

Average Age

26.4

Average Salary

$13,452

Average Male Salary

$14,024

Average Female Salary

$13,132

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 $13,452 in 2021.

The locations that employ the most Fast food and counter workers are Portage County PUMA, OH, Norman, Oklahoma City (South) & Moore Cities PUMA, OK, and Deschutes County PUMA, OR. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Fast food and counter workers are Portage County PUMA, OH, Orlando City (Univ. of Central Florida) & Union Park PUMA, FL, and Jefferson Parish (West Bank) PUMA, LA.

Photo by Dan Keck

Service Occupations Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations

Employment and salary information for the Fast food and counter workers workforce. Fast food and counter workers workforce in 2021 was 691,366 people, of which 64.1% were women and 35.9% were men. Fast food and counter workers are paid most in Dallas (Far North) & Richardson (Southwest) Cities PUMA, TX but are relatively concentrated in Portage County PUMA, OH.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

248,147

Male Workforce

± 12.2k

443,219

Female Workforce

± 16.3k

The Fast food and counter workers workforce in 2021 was 691,366 people (64.1% women and 35.9% men). This implies an average annual growth of 18.1% between 2018 (585,651) and 2021 (691,366).

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 2021, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Vermont ($18,845), Maine ($17,560), and Colorado ($17,366).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$13,452

AVERAGE WAGE

#526 in the ranking (2021)

$59,596

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2021, Fast food and counter workers earned an average of $13,452, $46,143 less than the average national salary of $59,596

The graph shows the ranking of Fast food and counter workers in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2021.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.444

WAGE GINI

In 2021, Fast food and counter workers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.444, which is lower 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).

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 Nursing Care Facilities ($51,760).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

691k

2021 Workforce

± 20,367

7.84%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 3.94%

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 89.7%, followed by Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores with 8.29% and Motion pictures & video industries with 1.96%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Fast food and counter workers in the US. The workforce of Fast food and counter workers in 2021 was 691,366 people, with 64.1% woman, and 35.9% men. The average age of male Fast food and counter workers in the workforce is 24.9 and of female Fast food and counter workers is 27.3, 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 2021 was 691,366 people, with 64.1% woman, and 35.9% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 16 to 19 years (259,129 people), 20 to 24 years (190,808 people), and 25 to 29 years (72,379 people). Among them they concentrated 75.6% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2021, 20.8% of Fast food and counter workers workers were Hispanic and 79.2% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (81.5%), Puerto Rican (12.9)%, and All Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino (5.6)%

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

Races

In 2021, 64.9% of the Fast food and counter workers workforce were White, of which 65.4% were women and 34.6% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (9.45%).

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 2021 were Communication Technologies.

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 2021 (counting all academic degrees) were Business (8,584 people), Visual & Performing Arts (6,493 people), and Education (3,612 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 (210,565 people), Some college (198,542 people), and Secondary Education (181,883 people).

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