Fast Food and Counter Workers salary in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Fast Food and Counter Workers in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Texas tax rules.
The figures
The median Fast Food and Counter Workers in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area earns $28,070 a year ($13.50 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Fast Food and Counter Workers in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX earn between $26,840 and $31,150 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $23,090 or less and the top 10 percent earn $36,240 or more. BLS estimates 128,380 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area — 31.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.28 (well above the national concentration). That is 3.3% of all Fast Food and Counter Workers employment in the United States (3,854,050 jobs nationally). By employment, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX is the #3 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Fast Food and Counter Workers. In aggregate, Fast Food and Counter Workers in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX earn about $3.77 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $25,762.52 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Fast Food and Counter Workers is about $3.31 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 5.3% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX stands #23 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Fast Food and Counter Workers. By employment, Fast Food and Counter Workers is the #1 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. Placed against the national distribution for Fast Food and Counter Workers, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX median of $28,070 falls between the national 25th percentile ($27,700) and the national median ($31,200). Across all occupations, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX median is $51,440 a year — Fast Food and Counter Workers pay is 45.4% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $14.11 | $29,350 |
| 10th percentile | $11.10 | $23,090 |
| 25th percentile | $12.90 | $26,840 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $13.50 | $28,070 |
| 75th percentile | $14.98 | $31,150 |
| 90th percentile | $17.42 | $36,240 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Fast Food and Counter Workers in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX earn 1.6 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($36,240 against $23,090). The middle half spans $4,310 — from $26,840 to $31,150. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($17.42) is 1.57 times the 10th ($11.10). In the upper half of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $31,150 takes home $27,209.18 and the 90th percentile wage of $36,240 takes home $31,298.70 — $4,089.52 more net for $5,090 more gross. Against the median take-home of $24,725.62, the top decile keeps 1.27 times as much. The mean wage of $29,350 sits 4.6% above the median: higher-paid Fast Food and Counter Workers pull the average up in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. Among the 30 covered occupations in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, Fast Food and Counter Workers ranks #28 by median pay. In the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX wage ladder of covered occupations, Fast Food and Counter Workers sits between Cashiers at $29,910 and Home Health and Personal Care Aides at $26,900. Fast Food and Counter Workers accounts for 3.2% of all employment in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area. The average covered metro employs 62,486 Fast Food and Counter Workers; Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX employs 2.1 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Texas
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Texas; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $28,070.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $1,197.00 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $1,740.34 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $407.01 |
| Texas income tax | $0.00 |
| Total deductions | $3,344.38 |
| Net pay (annual) | $24,725.62 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $950.99 |
| Total deduction rate | 11.91% of gross |
At the median, $24,725.62 of the $28,070 gross is kept ($950.99 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 11.91%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 10.68% at the 10th percentile, 11.65% at the 25th percentile, 12.65% at the 75th percentile, 13.63% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $3,496.46 on a gross rise of $4,310.
The same engine at the other published points of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($23,090) | $20,624.68 | $793.26 | 10.68% |
| 25th percentile ($26,840) | $23,712.72 | $912.03 | 11.65% |
| Median ($28,070) | $24,725.62 | $950.99 | 11.91% |
| 75th percentile ($31,150) | $27,209.18 | $1,046.51 | 12.65% |
| 90th percentile ($36,240) | $31,298.70 | $1,203.80 | 13.63% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $20,624.68 a year at the 10th percentile to $31,298.70 at the 90th — a spread of $10,674.02 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX median wage of $51,440 takes home $43,512.08 a year ($1,673.54 per paycheck, deduction rate 15.41%). The Fast Food and Counter Workers median take-home of $24,725.62 sits $18,786.46 (below that area-wide figure.
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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX median of $28,070 is $3,130 (10.0%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $29,350 a year in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX against $32,150 nationally, a gap of $2,800 (8.7%).
Set against the whole local market, the Fast Food and Counter Workers 90th percentile of $36,240 is 27% of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX all-occupations 90th percentile ($132,080), and its 10th percentile of $23,090 is 80% of the area-wide 10th ($28,850).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $28,070 | $13.50 | $29,350 |
| United States | $31,200 | $15.00 | $32,150 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
$28,070 a year ($13.50 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $29,350 a year. Ranked by median pay, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX stands #23 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $28,070 in Texas?
About $24,725.62 a year ($950.99 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 11.91% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $31,150, take-home is $27,209.18.
How does pay in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX compare with the national median for Fast Food and Counter Workers?
The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX median of $28,070 is $3,130 (10.0%) below the national median of $31,200 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $36,240, against a national 90th percentile of $42,650.
How much do the top 10% of Fast Food and Counter Workers earn in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
$36,240 a year or more ($17.42 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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
On $36,240 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $31,298.70 a year ($1,203.80 per biweekly paycheck) in Texas under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 13.63%.
How many Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs are there in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
BLS estimates 128,380 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area — 31.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
The location quotient is 1.28 — well above 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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
From $20,624.68 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($23,090) to $31,298.70 at the 90th ($36,240), under the same single-filer assumptions in Texas.
What is the total wage bill for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
About $3.77 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 128,380 multiplied by the mean wage of $29,350.
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.