Fast Food and Counter Workers salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Fast Food and Counter Workers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Illinois tax rules.
The figures
The median Fast Food and Counter Workers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earns $34,630 a year ($16.65 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Fast Food and Counter Workers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn between $31,200 and $36,590 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $31,200 or less and the top 10 percent earn $38,610 or more. BLS estimates 97,280 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area — 21.553 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.87 (below the national concentration). That is 2.5% of all Fast Food and Counter Workers employment in the United States (3,854,050 jobs nationally). By employment, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is the #5 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Fast Food and Counter Workers. In aggregate, Fast Food and Counter Workers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn about $3.37 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $28,480.94 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Fast Food and Counter Workers is about $2.77 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 5.7% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #10 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Fast Food and Counter Workers. By employment, Fast Food and Counter Workers is the #6 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Placed against the national distribution for Fast Food and Counter Workers, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $34,630 falls between the national median ($31,200) and the national 75th percentile ($36,070). Across all occupations, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $54,720 a year — Fast Food and Counter Workers pay is 36.7% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $16.68 | $34,690 |
| 10th percentile | $15.00 | $31,200 |
| 25th percentile | $15.00 | $31,200 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $16.65 | $34,630 |
| 75th percentile | $17.59 | $36,590 |
| 90th percentile | $18.56 | $38,610 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Fast Food and Counter Workers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn 1.2 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($38,610 against $31,200). The middle half spans $5,390 — from $31,200 to $36,590. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($18.56) is 1.24 times the 10th ($15.00). In the upper half of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $36,590 takes home $29,913.72 and the 90th percentile wage of $38,610 takes home $31,436.86 — $1,523.14 more net for $2,020 more gross. Against the median take-home of $28,436.02, the top decile keeps 1.11 times as much. The mean wage of $34,690 sits 0.2% above the median: higher-paid Fast Food and Counter Workers pull the average up in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Among the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, Fast Food and Counter Workers ranks #29 by median pay. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN wage ladder of covered occupations, Fast Food and Counter Workers sits between Cashiers at $35,010 and Waiters and Waitresses at $31,200. Fast Food and Counter Workers accounts for 2.2% of all employment in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area. The average covered metro employs 62,486 Fast Food and Counter Workers; Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN employs 1.6 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Illinois
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Illinois; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $34,630.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $1,975.60 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,147.06 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $502.14 |
| Illinois income tax | $1,569.40 |
| Total deductions | $6,193.98 |
| Net pay (annual) | $28,436.02 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,093.69 |
| Total deduction rate | 17.89% of gross |
At the median, $28,436.02 of the $34,630 gross is kept ($1,093.69 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 17.89%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 17.15% at the 10th percentile, 17.15% at the 25th percentile, 18.25% at the 75th percentile, 18.58% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $4,064.00 on a gross rise of $5,390.
The same engine at the other published points of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($31,200) | $25,849.72 | $994.22 | 17.15% |
| 25th percentile ($31,200) | $25,849.72 | $994.22 | 17.15% |
| Median ($34,630) | $28,436.02 | $1,093.69 | 17.89% |
| 75th percentile ($36,590) | $29,913.72 | $1,150.53 | 18.25% |
| 90th percentile ($38,610) | $31,436.86 | $1,209.11 | 18.58% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $25,849.72 a year at the 10th percentile to $31,436.86 at the 90th — a spread of $5,587.14 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median wage of $54,720 takes home $43,583.42 a year ($1,676.29 per paycheck, deduction rate 20.35%). The Fast Food and Counter Workers median take-home of $28,436.02 sits $15,147.40 (below that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN also covers parts of Indiana. The take-home estimate above uses Illinois rules — the metro area's primary state. If the job is based in another part of the metro area, the state tax changes: see the Indiana paycheck calculator.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Fast Food and Counter Workers earns $31,200 a year ($15.00 an hour). The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $34,630 is $3,430 (11.0%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $34,690 a year in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN against $32,150 nationally, a gap of $2,540 (7.9%).
Set against the whole local market, the Fast Food and Counter Workers 90th percentile of $38,610 is 30% of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN all-occupations 90th percentile ($130,790), and its 10th percentile of $31,200 is 91% of the area-wide 10th ($34,260).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $34,630 | $16.65 | $34,690 |
| United States | $31,200 | $15.00 | $32,150 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$34,630 a year ($16.65 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $34,690 a year. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #10 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $34,630 in Illinois?
About $28,436.02 a year ($1,093.69 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 17.89% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $36,590, take-home is $29,913.72.
How does pay in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN compare with the national median for Fast Food and Counter Workers?
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $34,630 is $3,430 (11.0%) above the national median of $31,200 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $38,610, against a national 90th percentile of $42,650.
How much do the top 10% of Fast Food and Counter Workers earn in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$38,610 a year or more ($18.56 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
On $38,610 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $31,436.86 a year ($1,209.11 per biweekly paycheck) in Illinois under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 18.58%.
How many Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs are there in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
BLS estimates 97,280 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area — 21.553 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
The location quotient is 0.87 — below the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
From $25,849.72 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($31,200) to $31,436.86 at the 90th ($38,610), under the same single-filer assumptions in Illinois.
What is the total wage bill for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
About $3.37 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 97,280 multiplied by the mean wage of $34,690.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.