Fast Food and Counter Workers salary in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Fast Food and Counter Workers in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earns $42,190 a year ($20.28 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Fast Food and Counter Workers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn between $36,600 and $43,720 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $35,510 or less and the top 10 percent earn $47,200 or more. BLS estimates 42,550 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA area — 27.667 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.12 (above the national concentration). That is 1.1% of all Fast Food and Counter Workers employment in the United States (3,854,050 jobs nationally). By employment, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA is the #16 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Fast Food and Counter Workers. In aggregate, Fast Food and Counter Workers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn about $1.74 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $33,904.60 a year, so the aggregate take-home of San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Fast Food and Counter Workers is about $1.44 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 4.7% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA stands #3 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. Placed against the national distribution for Fast Food and Counter Workers, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $42,190 falls above the national 75th percentile of $36,070. Across all occupations, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median is $58,690 a year — Fast Food and Counter Workers pay is 28.1% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $19.65 | $40,870 |
| 10th percentile | $17.07 | $35,510 |
| 25th percentile | $17.60 | $36,600 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $20.28 | $42,190 |
| 75th percentile | $21.02 | $43,720 |
| 90th percentile | $22.69 | $47,200 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Fast Food and Counter Workers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn 1.3 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($47,200 against $35,510). The middle half spans $7,120 — from $36,600 to $43,720. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($22.69) is 1.33 times the 10th ($17.07). In the upper half of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $43,720 takes home $36,043.50 and the 90th percentile wage of $47,200 takes home $38,655.36 — $2,611.86 more net for $3,480 more gross. Against the median take-home of $34,895.18, the top decile keeps 1.11 times as much. The mean wage of $40,870 sits 3.1% below the median: the average is held down by the lower end of the distribution in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. Among the 30 covered occupations in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, Fast Food and Counter Workers ranks #23 by median pay. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA wage ladder of covered occupations, Fast Food and Counter Workers sits between Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand at $43,320 and Stockers and Order Fillers at $39,160. Fast Food and Counter Workers accounts for 2.8% of all employment in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area. The average covered metro employs 62,486 Fast Food and Counter Workers; San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA employs 0.7 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) | $42,190.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,882.80 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,615.78 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $611.75 |
| California income tax | $635.90 |
| California SDI (State Disability Insurance) | $548.47 |
| Total deductions | $7,294.82 |
| Net pay (annual) | $34,895.18 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,342.12 |
| Total deduction rate | 17.29% of gross |
At the median, $34,895.18 of the $42,190 gross is kept ($1,342.12 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 17.29%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 15.85% at the 10th percentile, 16.12% at the 25th percentile, 17.56% at the 75th percentile, 18.10% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $5,343.68 on a gross rise of $7,120.
The same engine at the other published points of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($35,510) | $29,882.04 | $1,149.31 | 15.85% |
| 25th percentile ($36,600) | $30,699.82 | $1,180.76 | 16.12% |
| Median ($42,190) | $34,895.18 | $1,342.12 | 17.29% |
| 75th percentile ($43,720) | $36,043.50 | $1,386.29 | 17.56% |
| 90th percentile ($47,200) | $38,655.36 | $1,486.74 | 18.10% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $29,882.04 a year at the 10th percentile to $38,655.36 at the 90th — a spread of $8,773.32 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median wage of $58,690 takes home $47,079.96 a year ($1,810.77 per paycheck, deduction rate 19.78%). The Fast Food and Counter Workers median take-home of $34,895.18 sits $12,184.78 (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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $42,190 is $10,990 (35.2%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $40,870 a year in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA against $32,150 nationally, a gap of $8,720 (27.1%).
Set against the whole local market, the Fast Food and Counter Workers 90th percentile of $47,200 is 31% of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA all-occupations 90th percentile ($152,580), and its 10th percentile of $35,510 is 98% of the area-wide 10th ($36,250).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $42,190 | $20.28 | $40,870 |
| United States | $31,200 | $15.00 | $32,150 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Fast Food and Counter Workers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
$42,190 a year ($20.28 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $40,870 a year. Ranked by median pay, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA stands #3 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $42,190 in California?
About $34,895.18 a year ($1,342.12 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 17.29% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $43,720, take-home is $36,043.50.
How does pay in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA compare with the national median for Fast Food and Counter Workers?
The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $42,190 is $10,990 (35.2%) above the national median of $31,200 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $47,200, against a national 90th percentile of $42,650.
How much do the top 10% of Fast Food and Counter Workers earn in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
$47,200 a year or more ($22.69 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
On $47,200 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $38,655.36 a year ($1,486.74 per biweekly paycheck) in California under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 18.10%.
How many Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs are there in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
BLS estimates 42,550 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area — 27.667 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
The location quotient is 1.12 — 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
From $29,882.04 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($35,510) to $38,655.36 at the 90th ($47,200), under the same single-filer assumptions in California.
What is the total wage bill for Fast Food and Counter Workers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
About $1.74 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 42,550 multiplied by the mean wage of $40,870.
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.