Fast Food and Counter Workers salary in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Fast Food and Counter Workers in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 New York tax rules.
The figures
The median Fast Food and Counter Workers in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area earns $35,420 a year ($17.03 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Fast Food and Counter Workers in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ earn between $34,480 and $37,790 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $33,070 or less and the top 10 percent earn $44,130 or more. BLS estimates 166,040 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ area — 17.493 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.71 (well below the national concentration). That is 4.3% of all Fast Food and Counter Workers employment in the United States (3,854,050 jobs nationally). By employment, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ is the #1 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Fast Food and Counter Workers. In aggregate, Fast Food and Counter Workers in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ earn about $6.17 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $30,445.66 a year, so the aggregate take-home of New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Fast Food and Counter Workers is about $5.06 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 4.1% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ stands #9 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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ. Placed against the national distribution for Fast Food and Counter Workers, the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median of $35,420 falls between the national median ($31,200) and the national 75th percentile ($36,070). Across all occupations, the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median is $61,430 a year — Fast Food and Counter Workers pay is 42.3% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $17.85 | $37,130 |
| 10th percentile | $15.90 | $33,070 |
| 25th percentile | $16.58 | $34,480 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $17.03 | $35,420 |
| 75th percentile | $18.17 | $37,790 |
| 90th percentile | $21.22 | $44,130 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Fast Food and Counter Workers in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ earn 1.3 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($44,130 against $33,070). The middle half spans $3,310 — from $34,480 to $37,790. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($21.22) is 1.33 times the 10th ($15.90). In the upper half of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $37,790 takes home $30,937.18 and the 90th percentile wage of $44,130 takes home $35,662.06 — $4,724.88 more net for $6,340 more gross. Against the median take-home of $29,171.42, the top decile keeps 1.22 times as much. The mean wage of $37,130 sits 4.8% above the median: higher-paid Fast Food and Counter Workers pull the average up in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ. Among the 30 covered occupations in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, Fast Food and Counter Workers ranks #30 by median pay. In the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ wage ladder of covered occupations, Fast Food and Counter Workers sits just below Cashiers at $35,950. Fast Food and Counter Workers accounts for 1.7% of all employment in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area. The average covered metro employs 62,486 Fast Food and Counter Workers; New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ employs 2.7 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in New York
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in New York; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $35,420.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,070.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,196.04 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $513.59 |
| New York income tax | $1,315.68 |
| New York Paid Family Leave (employee contribution) | $153.01 |
| Total deductions | $6,248.58 |
| Net pay (annual) | $29,171.42 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,121.98 |
| Total deduction rate | 17.64% of gross |
At the median, $29,171.42 of the $35,420 gross is kept ($1,121.98 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 17.64%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 17.08% at the 10th percentile, 17.43% at the 25th percentile, 18.13% at the 75th percentile, 19.19% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $2,466.30 on a gross rise of $3,310.
The same engine at the other published points of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($33,070) | $27,420.46 | $1,054.63 | 17.08% |
| 25th percentile ($34,480) | $28,470.88 | $1,095.03 | 17.43% |
| Median ($35,420) | $29,171.42 | $1,121.98 | 17.64% |
| 75th percentile ($37,790) | $30,937.18 | $1,189.89 | 18.13% |
| 90th percentile ($44,130) | $35,662.06 | $1,371.62 | 19.19% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $27,420.46 a year at the 10th percentile to $35,662.06 at the 90th — a spread of $8,241.60 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median wage of $61,430 takes home $48,553.24 a year ($1,867.43 per paycheck, deduction rate 20.96%). The Fast Food and Counter Workers median take-home of $29,171.42 sits $19,381.82 (below that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ also covers parts of New Jersey. The take-home estimate above uses New York 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 New Jersey 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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median of $35,420 is $4,220 (13.5%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $37,130 a year in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ against $32,150 nationally, a gap of $4,980 (15.5%).
Set against the whole local market, the Fast Food and Counter Workers 90th percentile of $44,130 is 27% of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ all-occupations 90th percentile ($166,080), and its 10th percentile of $33,070 is 92% of the area-wide 10th ($36,130).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $35,420 | $17.03 | $37,130 |
| United States | $31,200 | $15.00 | $32,150 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Fast Food and Counter Workers in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
$35,420 a year ($17.03 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $37,130 a year. Ranked by median pay, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ stands #9 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $35,420 in New York?
About $29,171.42 a year ($1,121.98 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 17.64% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $37,790, take-home is $30,937.18.
How does pay in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ compare with the national median for Fast Food and Counter Workers?
The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median of $35,420 is $4,220 (13.5%) above the national median of $31,200 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $44,130, against a national 90th percentile of $42,650.
How much do the top 10% of Fast Food and Counter Workers earn in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
$44,130 a year or more ($21.22 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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
On $44,130 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $35,662.06 a year ($1,371.62 per biweekly paycheck) in New York under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 19.19%.
How many Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs are there in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
BLS estimates 166,040 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area — 17.493 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
The location quotient is 0.71 — well 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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
From $27,420.46 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($33,070) to $35,662.06 at the 90th ($44,130), under the same single-filer assumptions in New York.
What is the total wage bill for Fast Food and Counter Workers in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
About $6.17 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 166,040 multiplied by the mean wage of $37,130.
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.