SOC 35-3023.00Bright outlook

    Fast Food and Counter Workers

    Perform duties such as taking orders and serving food and beverages.

    Median pay
    $31,200
    Growth
    +5.8%
    Faster than average
    Openings a year
    827,400
    Typical education
    No formal credential

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $22,840
    Median
    $31,200
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $42,650
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    3,854,050 people work in this occupation.

    What fast food and counter workers do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    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.

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    64 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    0 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    8 / 100
    Social (S)
    41 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    41 / 100
    Conventional (C) · strongest
    66 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code CRS. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Getting Information
    62
    Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    61
    Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
    59
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    58
    Assisting and Caring for Others
    53
    Training and Teaching Others
    47
    Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others
    46
    Performing General Physical Activities
    45
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    44
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    44
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Coordination
    • Service Orientation
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Monitoring
    • Speaking
    • Critical Thinking
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Time Management

    Knowledge

    • Customer and Personal Service
    • English Language
    • Food Production
    • Mathematics
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Administration and Management
    • Sales and Marketing
    • Production and Processing
    • Administrative
    • Education and Training

    Abilities

    • Near Vision
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Speech Clarity
    • Speech Recognition
    • Time Sharing
    • Trunk Strength
    • Information Ordering
    • Manual Dexterity
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

    Work styles

    • Dependability
    • Cooperation
    • Social Orientation
    • Optimism
    • Attention to Detail
    • Self-Control
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Integrity
    • Empathy
    • Sincerity

    Also called

    Back of House Team Member (BOH Team Member) · Bakery Associate · Barista · Bistro Team Member · Cafe Server · Cafe Worker · Cafeteria Food Server · Cafeteria Lunchroom Counter Attendant · Cafeteria Server · Cafeteria Worker

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What fast food and counter workers may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    1 state lists a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

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    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

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    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.