Fast Food and Counter Workers salary in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Fast Food and Counter Workers in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Florida tax rules.
The figures
The median Fast Food and Counter Workers in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area earns $29,600 a year ($14.23 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Fast Food and Counter Workers in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL earn between $28,330 and $35,210 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $27,670 or less and the top 10 percent earn $36,760 or more. BLS estimates 56,900 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL area — 20.177 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.81 (below the national concentration). That is 1.5% of all Fast Food and Counter Workers employment in the United States (3,854,050 jobs nationally). By employment, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL is the #10 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Fast Food and Counter Workers. In aggregate, Fast Food and Counter Workers in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL earn about $1.81 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $27,707.24 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Fast Food and Counter Workers is about $1.58 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 5.5% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL stands #17 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Fast Food and Counter Workers. By employment, Fast Food and Counter Workers is the #7 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL. Placed against the national distribution for Fast Food and Counter Workers, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL median of $29,600 falls between the national 25th percentile ($27,700) and the national median ($31,200). Across all occupations, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL median is $48,640 a year — Fast Food and Counter Workers pay is 39.1% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $15.27 | $31,770 |
| 10th percentile | $13.31 | $27,670 |
| 25th percentile | $13.62 | $28,330 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $14.23 | $29,600 |
| 75th percentile | $16.93 | $35,210 |
| 90th percentile | $17.67 | $36,760 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Fast Food and Counter Workers in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL earn 1.3 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($36,760 against $27,670). The middle half spans $6,880 — from $28,330 to $35,210. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($17.67) is 1.33 times the 10th ($13.31). In the upper half of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $35,210 takes home $30,471.24 and the 90th percentile wage of $36,760 takes home $31,716.52 — $1,245.28 more net for $1,550 more gross. Against the median take-home of $25,963.64, the top decile keeps 1.22 times as much. The mean wage of $31,770 sits 7.3% above the median: higher-paid Fast Food and Counter Workers pull the average up in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL. Among the 30 covered occupations in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL, Fast Food and Counter Workers ranks #30 by median pay. In the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL wage ladder of covered occupations, Fast Food and Counter Workers sits just below Cashiers at $30,250. Fast Food and Counter Workers accounts for 2.0% of all employment in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area. The average covered metro employs 62,486 Fast Food and Counter Workers; Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL employs 0.9 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Florida
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Florida; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $29,600.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $1,372.00 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $1,835.20 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $429.20 |
| Florida income tax | $0.00 |
| Total deductions | $3,636.36 |
| Net pay (annual) | $25,963.64 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $998.60 |
| Total deduction rate | 12.28% of gross |
At the median, $25,963.64 of the $29,600 gross is kept ($998.60 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 12.28%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 11.83% at the 10th percentile, 11.97% at the 25th percentile, 13.46% at the 75th percentile, 13.72% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $5,531.64 on a gross rise of $6,880.
The same engine at the other published points of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($27,670) | $24,396.34 | $938.32 | 11.83% |
| 25th percentile ($28,330) | $24,939.60 | $959.22 | 11.97% |
| Median ($29,600) | $25,963.64 | $998.60 | 12.28% |
| 75th percentile ($35,210) | $30,471.24 | $1,171.97 | 13.46% |
| 90th percentile ($36,760) | $31,716.52 | $1,219.87 | 13.72% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $24,396.34 a year at the 10th percentile to $31,716.52 at the 90th — a spread of $7,320.18 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL median wage of $48,640 takes home $41,261.98 a year ($1,587.00 per paycheck, deduction rate 15.17%). The Fast Food and Counter Workers median take-home of $25,963.64 sits $15,298.34 (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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL median of $29,600 is $1,600 (5.1%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $31,770 a year in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL against $32,150 nationally, a gap of $380 (1.2%).
Set against the whole local market, the Fast Food and Counter Workers 90th percentile of $36,760 is 30% of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL all-occupations 90th percentile ($122,530), and its 10th percentile of $27,670 is 92% of the area-wide 10th ($30,140).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $29,600 | $14.23 | $31,770 |
| United States | $31,200 | $15.00 | $32,150 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
$29,600 a year ($14.23 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $31,770 a year. Ranked by median pay, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL stands #17 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $29,600 in Florida?
About $25,963.64 a year ($998.60 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 12.28% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $35,210, take-home is $30,471.24.
How does pay in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL compare with the national median for Fast Food and Counter Workers?
The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL median of $29,600 is $1,600 (5.1%) below the national median of $31,200 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $36,760, against a national 90th percentile of $42,650.
How much do the top 10% of Fast Food and Counter Workers earn in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
$36,760 a year or more ($17.67 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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
On $36,760 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $31,716.52 a year ($1,219.87 per biweekly paycheck) in Florida under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 13.72%.
How many Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs are there in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
BLS estimates 56,900 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area — 20.177 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
The location quotient is 0.81 — 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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
From $24,396.34 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($27,670) to $31,716.52 at the 90th ($36,760), under the same single-filer assumptions in Florida.
What is the total wage bill for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
About $1.81 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 56,900 multiplied by the mean wage of $31,770.
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.