Fast Food and Counter Workers salary in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Fast Food and Counter Workers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 California tax rules.
The figures
The median Fast Food and Counter Workers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area earns $42,110 a year ($20.24 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Fast Food and Counter Workers in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA earn between $36,540 and $44,470 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $35,720 or less and the top 10 percent earn $46,830 or more. BLS estimates 160,270 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area — 25.554 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.03 (about the same concentration as the nation). That is 4.2% of all Fast Food and Counter Workers employment in the United States (3,854,050 jobs nationally). By employment, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA is the #2 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Fast Food and Counter Workers. In aggregate, Fast Food and Counter Workers in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA earn about $6.58 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $34,062.34 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Fast Food and Counter Workers is about $5.46 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 4.9% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA stands #4 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Fast Food and Counter Workers. By employment, Fast Food and Counter Workers is the #2 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA. Placed against the national distribution for Fast Food and Counter Workers, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median of $42,110 falls above the national 75th percentile of $36,070. Across all occupations, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median is $55,850 a year — Fast Food and Counter Workers pay is 24.6% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $19.75 | $41,080 |
| 10th percentile | $17.18 | $35,720 |
| 25th percentile | $17.57 | $36,540 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $20.24 | $42,110 |
| 75th percentile | $21.38 | $44,470 |
| 90th percentile | $22.52 | $46,830 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Fast Food and Counter Workers in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA earn 1.3 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($46,830 against $35,720). The middle half spans $7,930 — from $36,540 to $44,470. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($22.52) is 1.31 times the 10th ($17.18). In the upper half of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $44,470 takes home $36,606.30 and the 90th percentile wage of $46,830 takes home $38,377.40 — $1,771.10 more net for $2,360 more gross. Against the median take-home of $34,835.46, the top decile keeps 1.10 times as much. The mean wage of $41,080 sits 2.4% below the median: the average is held down by the lower end of the distribution in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA. Among the 30 covered occupations in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, Fast Food and Counter Workers ranks #23 by median pay. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA wage ladder of covered occupations, Fast Food and Counter Workers sits between Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand at $42,390 and Security Guards at $40,030. Fast Food and Counter Workers accounts for 2.6% of all employment in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area. The average covered metro employs 62,486 Fast Food and Counter Workers; Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA employs 2.6 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in California
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in California; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $42,110.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,873.20 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,610.82 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $610.59 |
| California income tax | $632.70 |
| California SDI (State Disability Insurance) | $547.43 |
| Total deductions | $7,274.54 |
| Net pay (annual) | $34,835.46 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,339.83 |
| Total deduction rate | 17.28% of gross |
At the median, $34,835.46 of the $42,110 gross is kept ($1,339.83 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 17.28%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 15.90% at the 10th percentile, 16.11% at the 25th percentile, 17.68% at the 75th percentile, 18.05% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $5,951.40 on a gross rise of $7,930.
The same engine at the other published points of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($35,720) | $30,039.52 | $1,155.37 | 15.90% |
| 25th percentile ($36,540) | $30,654.90 | $1,179.03 | 16.11% |
| Median ($42,110) | $34,835.46 | $1,339.83 | 17.28% |
| 75th percentile ($44,470) | $36,606.30 | $1,407.93 | 17.68% |
| 90th percentile ($46,830) | $38,377.40 | $1,476.05 | 18.05% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $30,039.52 a year at the 10th percentile to $38,377.40 at the 90th — a spread of $8,337.88 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median wage of $55,850 takes home $45,005.40 a year ($1,730.98 per paycheck, deduction rate 19.42%). The Fast Food and Counter Workers median take-home of $34,835.46 sits $10,169.94 (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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median of $42,110 is $10,910 (35.0%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $41,080 a year in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA against $32,150 nationally, a gap of $8,930 (27.8%).
Set against the whole local market, the Fast Food and Counter Workers 90th percentile of $46,830 is 33% of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA all-occupations 90th percentile ($141,370), and its 10th percentile of $35,720 is 100% of the area-wide 10th ($35,870).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $42,110 | $20.24 | $41,080 |
| United States | $31,200 | $15.00 | $32,150 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
$42,110 a year ($20.24 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $41,080 a year. Ranked by median pay, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA stands #4 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $42,110 in California?
About $34,835.46 a year ($1,339.83 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 17.28% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $44,470, take-home is $36,606.30.
How does pay in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA compare with the national median for Fast Food and Counter Workers?
The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median of $42,110 is $10,910 (35.0%) above the national median of $31,200 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $46,830, against a national 90th percentile of $42,650.
How much do the top 10% of Fast Food and Counter Workers earn in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
$46,830 a year or more ($22.52 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
On $46,830 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $38,377.40 a year ($1,476.05 per biweekly paycheck) in California under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 18.05%.
How many Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs are there in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
BLS estimates 160,270 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area — 25.554 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
The location quotient is 1.03 — about the same concentration as the nation. 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
From $30,039.52 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($35,720) to $38,377.40 at the 90th ($46,830), under the same single-filer assumptions in California.
What is the total wage bill for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
About $6.58 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 160,270 multiplied by the mean wage of $41,080.
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.