Careers / Fast Food and Counter Workers
Fast Food and Counter Workers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$31,200
United States, 2025
Employment
3,854,050
United States, 2025
Typical education
Less than a High School Diploma
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
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.
- O*NET code
- 35-3023.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- None
Typical tasks
- Balance receipts and payments in cash registers.
- Accept payment from customers, and make change as necessary.
- Serve customers in eating places that specialize in fast service and inexpensive carry-out food.
- Request and record customer orders, and compute bills, using cash registers, multi-counting machines, or pencil and paper.
- Communicate with customers regarding orders, comments, and complaints.
- Serve food, beverages, or desserts to customers in such settings as take-out counters of restaurants or lunchrooms, business or industrial establishments, hotel rooms, and cars.
- Monitor and order supplies or food items, and restock as necessary to maintain inventory.
- Perform cleaning duties, such as sweeping, mopping, and washing dishes, to keep equipment and facilities sanitary.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$22,840
25th percentile
$27,700
75th percentile
$36,070
90th percentile
$42,650
Most important skills
- Social Perceptiveness3.0
- Coordination3.0
- Active Listening3.0
- Service Orientation3.0
- Monitoring2.9
- Speaking2.6
- Critical Thinking2.5
- Reading Comprehension2.4
- Time Management2.4
- Judgment and Decision Making2.4
- Management of Personnel Resources2.0
- Writing2.0
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 4 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
4
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coordination | 3.0 | 2.8 | Not selected | 2.8 |
| Service Orientation | 3.0 | 2.8 | Not selected | 2.8 |
| Active Listening | 3.0 | 2.3 | Not selected | 2.3 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 | 2.0 | Not selected | 2.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median $47,940
Compare with Fast Food and Counter WorkersSupplemental
National median $31,200
Compare with Fast Food and Counter WorkersSupplemental
National median $40,140
Compare with Fast Food and Counter WorkersSupplemental
National median $44,080
Compare with Fast Food and Counter WorkersSupplemental
National median $37,450
Compare with Fast Food and Counter WorkersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Napa, CA | $45,410 | 1,440 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $44,570 | 23,060 | 2025 |
| Vallejo, CA | $44,110 | 4,430 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $43,870 | 49,970 | 2025 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $43,610 | 4,720 | 2025 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | $43,400 | 3,220 | 2025 |
| Salinas, CA | $43,260 | 4,180 | 2025 |
| Santa Maria, CA | $42,940 | 5,930 | 2025 |
| Sacramento, CA | $42,860 | 24,910 | 2025 |
| Modesto, CA | $42,630 | 6,700 | 2025 |
| Oxnard, CA | $42,370 | 9,520 | 2025 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | $42,350 | 3,310 | 2025 |
| Riverside, CA | $42,280 | 51,310 | 2025 |
| CA | $42,280 | 449,840 | 2025 |
| San Diego, CA | $42,190 | 42,550 | 2025 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $42,110 | 160,270 | 2025 |
| Hanford, CA | $42,060 | 1,610 | 2025 |
| Yuba City, CA | $42,040 | 1,630 | 2025 |
| Stockton, CA | $41,740 | 7,560 | 2025 |
| Fresno, CA | $39,480 | 12,330 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Fast Food and Counter Workers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.