Fast Food and Counter Workers Salary in Colorado
Fast Food and Counter Workers in Colorado earn a median $36,270 a year, +16% against the national median of $31,200; they and rank 4th of 51 states by median. That is 39% less than the median across all occupations in Colorado ($59,800). Colorado pays more than every neighbouring state: Arizona, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Kansas and Oklahoma range from $23,430 in Oklahoma to $34,230 in Arizona. Colorado employs 82,010 fast food and counter workers, 28.5 per 1,000 jobs, the 17th largest count of any state. A location quotient of 1.15 is close to the national share.
Colorado vs the United States, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Colorado | Hourly | $14.92 | $16.30 | $17.44 | $18.13 | $21.20 | $17.74 | 82,010 | 28.54 | 1.15 |
| Annual | $31,040 | $33,900 | $36,270 | $37,710 | $44,100 | $36,890 | ||||
| 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
- 4th of 51 states
- Rank by employment
- 17th of 51 states
- Location quotient
- 1.15
- Jobs per 1,000
- 28.54
Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of Colorado'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 Colorado
7 metropolitan areas and 3 nonmetropolitan areas touching Colorado 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $17.82 | $37,070 | $33,230 | $44,420 | 42,810 | 26.60 | 1.07 |
| Boulder, CO | $17.40 | $36,190 | $33,360 | $45,460 | 4,880 | 25.38 | 1.02 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | $16.75 | $34,850 | $31,040 | $45,210 | 5,770 | 34.03 | 1.37 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $16.55 | $34,420 | $30,940 | $41,490 | 11,470 | 36.29 | 1.46 |
| Greeley, CO | $15.88 | $33,030 | $30,800 | $37,780 | 3,670 | 30.69 | 1.24 |
| Grand Junction, CO | $15.15 | $31,510 | $30,800 | $37,270 | 2,450 | 36.54 | 1.47 |
| Pueblo, CO | $14.95 | $31,100 | $30,800 | $36,510 | 2,160 | 34.93 | 1.41 |
| Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $16.76 | $34,870 | $31,030 | $45,250 | 3,080 | 23.31 | 0.94 |
| Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $16.27 | $33,850 | $30,940 | $42,740 | 3,490 | 32.25 | 1.30 |
| Eastern and Southern Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $16.05 | $33,390 | $30,800 | $41,880 | 1,970 | 28.07 | 1.13 |
Neighbouring states
See the national page for Fast Food and Counter Workers (every state ranked) and the Colorado 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 Colorado 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.