Fast Food and Counter Workers salary in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Fast Food and Counter Workers in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area earns $42,280 a year ($20.33 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Fast Food and Counter Workers in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA earn between $36,410 and $45,000 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $34,790 or less and the top 10 percent earn $46,540 or more. BLS estimates 51,310 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA area — 29.885 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.21 (above the national concentration). That is 1.3% of all Fast Food and Counter Workers employment in the United States (3,854,050 jobs nationally). By employment, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA is the #12 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Fast Food and Counter Workers. In aggregate, Fast Food and Counter Workers in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA earn about $2.12 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $34,189.96 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Fast Food and Counter Workers is about $1.75 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 3.4% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA stands #2 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Fast Food and Counter Workers. By employment, Fast Food and Counter Workers is the #4 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA. Placed against the national distribution for Fast Food and Counter Workers, the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA median of $42,280 falls above the national 75th percentile of $36,070. Across all occupations, the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA median is $48,400 a year — Fast Food and Counter Workers pay is 12.6% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $19.83 | $41,250 |
| 10th percentile | $16.72 | $34,790 |
| 25th percentile | $17.51 | $36,410 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $20.33 | $42,280 |
| 75th percentile | $21.63 | $45,000 |
| 90th percentile | $22.38 | $46,540 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Fast Food and Counter Workers in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA earn 1.3 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($46,540 against $34,790). The middle half spans $8,590 — from $36,410 to $45,000. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($22.38) is 1.34 times the 10th ($16.72). In the upper half of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $45,000 takes home $37,003.96 and the 90th percentile wage of $46,540 takes home $38,159.94 — $1,155.98 more net for $1,540 more gross. Against the median take-home of $34,962.82, the top decile keeps 1.09 times as much. The mean wage of $41,250 sits 2.4% below the median: the average is held down by the lower end of the distribution in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA. Among the 30 covered occupations in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA, Fast Food and Counter Workers ranks #24 by median pay. In the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA wage ladder of covered occupations, Fast Food and Counter Workers sits between Cooks, Restaurant at $42,450 and Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners at $40,860. Fast Food and Counter Workers accounts for 3.0% of all employment in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area. The average covered metro employs 62,486 Fast Food and Counter Workers; Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA employs 0.8 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) | $42,280.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,893.60 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,621.36 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $613.06 |
| California income tax | $639.50 |
| California SDI (State Disability Insurance) | $549.64 |
| Total deductions | $7,317.18 |
| Net pay (annual) | $34,962.82 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,344.72 |
| Total deduction rate | 17.31% of gross |
At the median, $34,962.82 of the $42,280 gross is kept ($1,344.72 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 17.31%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 15.66% at the 10th percentile, 16.07% at the 25th percentile, 17.77% at the 75th percentile, 18.01% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $6,446.82 on a gross rise of $8,590.
The same engine at the other published points of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($34,790) | $29,341.96 | $1,128.54 | 15.66% |
| 25th percentile ($36,410) | $30,557.14 | $1,175.27 | 16.07% |
| Median ($42,280) | $34,962.82 | $1,344.72 | 17.31% |
| 75th percentile ($45,000) | $37,003.96 | $1,423.23 | 17.77% |
| 90th percentile ($46,540) | $38,159.94 | $1,467.69 | 18.01% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $29,341.96 a year at the 10th percentile to $38,159.94 at the 90th — a spread of $8,817.98 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA median wage of $48,400 takes home $39,555.84 a year ($1,521.38 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.27%). The Fast Food and Counter Workers median take-home of $34,962.82 sits $4,593.02 (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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA median of $42,280 is $11,080 (35.5%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $41,250 a year in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA against $32,150 nationally, a gap of $9,100 (28.3%).
Set against the whole local market, the Fast Food and Counter Workers 90th percentile of $46,540 is 39% of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA all-occupations 90th percentile ($119,360), and its 10th percentile of $34,790 is 100% of the area-wide 10th ($34,850).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $42,280 | $20.33 | $41,250 |
| United States | $31,200 | $15.00 | $32,150 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
$42,280 a year ($20.33 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $41,250 a year. Ranked by median pay, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA stands #2 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $42,280 in California?
About $34,962.82 a year ($1,344.72 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 17.31% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $45,000, take-home is $37,003.96.
How does pay in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA compare with the national median for Fast Food and Counter Workers?
The Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA median of $42,280 is $11,080 (35.5%) above the national median of $31,200 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $46,540, against a national 90th percentile of $42,650.
How much do the top 10% of Fast Food and Counter Workers earn in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
$46,540 a year or more ($22.38 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
On $46,540 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $38,159.94 a year ($1,467.69 per biweekly paycheck) in California under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 18.01%.
How many Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs are there in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
BLS estimates 51,310 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area — 29.885 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
The location quotient is 1.21 — 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
From $29,341.96 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($34,790) to $38,159.94 at the 90th ($46,540), under the same single-filer assumptions in California.
What is the total wage bill for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
About $2.12 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 51,310 multiplied by the mean wage of $41,250.
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.