Fast Food and Counter Workers Salary in California
Fast Food and Counter Workers in California earn a median $42,280 a year, +36% against the national median of $31,200; they and rank 1st of 51 states by median. That is 27% less than the median across all occupations in California ($58,240). California pays more than every neighbouring state: Oregon, Arizona and Nevada range from $31,950 in Nevada to $35,050 in Oregon. California employs 449,840 fast food and counter workers, 24.7 per 1,000 jobs, the 2nd largest count of any state. A location quotient of 1.00 is close to the national share.
California vs the United States, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| California | Hourly | $17.08 | $17.69 | $20.33 | $21.62 | $23.05 | $20.04 | 449,840 | 24.70 | 1.00 |
| Annual | $35,530 | $36,790 | $42,280 | $44,970 | $47,950 | $41,680 | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $10.98 | $13.32 | $15.00 | $17.34 | $20.51 | $15.46 | 3,854,050 | – | – |
| Annual | $22,840 | $27,700 | $31,200 | $36,070 | $42,650 | $32,150 | ||||
- Rank by median
- 1st of 51 states
- Rank by employment
- 2nd of 51 states
- Location quotient
- 1.00
- Jobs per 1,000
- 24.70
Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of California's employment divided by its national share; 1.00 means the same share as the nation. Take-home pay at these wages: FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Metropolitan areas in California
25 metropolitan areas and 3 nonmetropolitan areas touching California publish a row for fast food and counter workers, sorted by median. Areas crossing a state line are listed under every state they touch; a linked metro has its own profile.
| Area | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Napa, CA | $21.83 | $45,410 | $36,520 | $48,780 | 1,440 | 18.54 | 0.75 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $21.43 | $44,570 | $37,860 | $54,220 | 23,060 | 20.32 | 0.82 |
| Vallejo, CA | $21.21 | $44,110 | $35,760 | $49,330 | 4,430 | 30.71 | 1.24 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $21.09 | $43,870 | $36,460 | $55,210 | 49,970 | 21.05 | 0.85 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $20.97 | $43,610 | $36,510 | $49,080 | 4,720 | 22.99 | 0.93 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $20.87 | $43,400 | $35,120 | $46,930 | 3,220 | 32.69 | 1.32 |
| Salinas, CA | $20.80 | $43,260 | $35,290 | $46,790 | 4,180 | 22.41 | 0.90 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $20.64 | $42,940 | $35,280 | $46,520 | 5,930 | 29.56 | 1.19 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $20.61 | $42,860 | $35,170 | $47,450 | 24,910 | 23.06 | 0.93 |
| Modesto, CA | $20.50 | $42,630 | $35,270 | $47,030 | 6,700 | 34.32 | 1.38 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $20.37 | $42,370 | $35,340 | $46,870 | 9,520 | 29.39 | 1.19 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $20.36 | $42,350 | $34,650 | $46,000 | 3,310 | 27.12 | 1.09 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $20.33 | $42,280 | $34,790 | $46,540 | 51,310 | 29.89 | 1.21 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $20.28 | $42,190 | $35,510 | $47,200 | 42,550 | 27.67 | 1.12 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $20.24 | $42,110 | $35,720 | $46,830 | 160,270 | 25.55 | 1.03 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $20.22 | $42,060 | $34,480 | $46,060 | 1,610 | 33.06 | 1.33 |
| Yuba City, CA | $20.21 | $42,040 | $34,850 | $46,520 | 1,630 | 31.94 | 1.29 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $20.07 | $41,740 | $34,700 | $46,360 | 7,560 | 26.11 | 1.05 |
| Fresno, CA | $18.98 | $39,480 | $35,070 | $45,830 | 12,330 | 25.85 | 1.04 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $18.98 | $39,470 | $35,190 | $45,660 | 9,180 | 27.13 | 1.09 |
| Redding, CA | $18.83 | $39,160 | $34,320 | $44,860 | 1,930 | 26.94 | 1.09 |
| El Centro, CA | $18.68 | $38,840 | $34,530 | $45,820 | 1,630 | 24.98 | 1.01 |
| Visalia, CA | $18.56 | $38,600 | $34,390 | $45,320 | 4,850 | 28.36 | 1.14 |
| Chico, CA | $18.37 | $38,210 | $34,320 | $45,070 | 2,630 | 33.57 | 1.35 |
| Merced, CA | $18.37 | $38,200 | $34,600 | $45,460 | 2,500 | 31.42 | 1.27 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $20.15 | $41,910 | $34,880 | $45,810 | 2,470 | 23.66 | 0.95 |
| North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $19.09 | $39,710 | $34,780 | $46,500 | 2,750 | 25.08 | 1.01 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $18.28 | $38,020 | $34,840 | $45,610 | 1,660 | 26.36 | 1.06 |
Neighbouring states
See the national page for Fast Food and Counter Workers (every state ranked) and the California wage profile (every occupation in the state).
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS California estimates.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.