Fast Food and Counter Workers
Perform duties such as taking orders and serving food and beverages. Serve customers at counter or from a steam table. May take payment. May prepare food and beverages.
- O*NET-SOC code
35-3023.00 - Preparation Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$31,200
Employment, U.S.3,854,050
Median hourly wage$15.00
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $22,840 | $27,700 | $31,200 | $36,070 | $42,650 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 41,460 | $23,700 | 0.79 |
| Alaska | 5,900 | $33,280 | 0.73 |
| Arizona | 77,210 | $34,230 | 0.96 |
| Arkansas | 35,660 | $26,250 | 1.10 |
| California | 449,840 | $42,280 | 1.00 |
| Colorado | 82,010 | $36,270 | 1.15 |
| Connecticut | 35,720 | $35,380 | 0.85 |
| Delaware | 13,310 | $31,300 | 1.11 |
| District of Columbia | 5,500 | $37,430 | 0.32 |
| Florida | 235,400 | $29,080 | 0.96 |
| Georgia | 145,030 | $26,920 | 1.20 |
| Hawaii | 24,130 | $35,250 | 1.55 |
| Idaho | 25,810 | $28,940 | 1.21 |
| Illinois | 127,590 | $33,910 | 0.84 |
| Indiana | 97,290 | $28,790 | 1.23 |
| Iowa | 40,290 | $28,390 | 1.04 |
| Kansas | 47,140 | $27,580 | 1.32 |
| Kentucky | 41,860 | $27,130 | 0.84 |
| Louisiana | 45,720 | $22,800 | 0.95 |
| Maine | 17,250 | $34,710 | 1.09 |
| Maryland | 49,380 | $33,660 | 0.72 |
| Massachusetts | 85,810 | $35,850 | 0.95 |
| Michigan | 103,130 | $28,930 | 0.94 |
| Minnesota | 58,970 | $31,370 | 0.81 |
| Mississippi | 31,220 | $22,610 | 1.08 |
| Missouri | 29,360 | $30,390 | 0.40 |
| Montana | 14,960 | $29,090 | 1.18 |
| Nebraska | 30,060 | $29,000 | 1.18 |
| Nevada | 45,850 | $31,950 | 1.19 |
| New Hampshire | 14,540 | $31,590 | 0.86 |
| New Jersey | 93,730 | $34,150 | 0.88 |
| New Mexico | 28,250 | $28,700 | 1.31 |
| New York | 168,620 | $35,250 | 0.70 |
| North Carolina | 92,230 | $28,570 | 0.75 |
| North Dakota | 11,470 | $30,080 | 1.08 |
| Ohio | 163,560 | $28,430 | 1.19 |
| Oklahoma | 52,520 | $23,430 | 1.24 |
| Oregon | 59,920 | $35,050 | 1.23 |
| Pennsylvania | 142,220 | $28,570 | 0.95 |
| Rhode Island | 13,310 | $31,490 | 1.07 |
| South Carolina | 65,070 | $27,520 | 1.14 |
| South Dakota | 15,150 | $29,490 | 1.34 |
| Tennessee | 90,690 | $27,470 | 1.12 |
| Texas | 460,530 | $27,740 | 1.32 |
| Utah | 52,340 | $28,670 | 1.22 |
| Vermont | 6,830 | $36,030 | 0.91 |
| Virginia | 104,460 | $30,110 | 1.03 |
| Washington | 94,710 | $37,710 | 1.08 |
| West Virginia | 6,240 | $26,070 | 0.36 |
| Wisconsin | 67,750 | $28,600 | 0.93 |
| Wyoming | 7,060 | $27,860 | 1.01 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cooks, Fast Food | 1-2 | 0.957 |
| 2 | Waiters and Waitresses | 1-2 | 0.956 |
| 3 | Baristas | 1-2 | 0.952 |
| 4 | Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | 1-2 | 0.952 |
| 5 | Food Servers, Nonrestaurant | 1-2 | 0.950 |
| 6 | Cashiers | 1-2 | 0.949 |
| 7 | Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers | 1-2 | 0.942 |
| 8 | Bartenders | 1-2 | 0.940 |
| 9 | Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | 1-2 | 0.938 |
| 10 | Postal Service Clerks | 1-2 | 0.937 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Fast Food and Counter Workers, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baristas | Speaking | 0.88 | 0.952 |
| Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers | Social Perceptiveness | 1.00 | 0.942 |
| Gambling Dealers | Speaking | 0.88 | 0.929 |
| Animal Caretakers | Reading Comprehension | 0.76 | 0.927 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | Reading Comprehension | 0.76 | 0.919 |
| Cooks, Short Order | Time Management | 1.24 | 0.912 |
| Bakers | Time Management | 1.00 | 0.911 |
| Gambling Change Persons and Booth Cashiers | Reading Comprehension | 0.88 | 0.910 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Fast Food and Counter Workers, excluding software Fast Food and Counter Workers already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Delphi Technology | 3 of 20 | 3.2x |
| Database software | 4 of 20 | 1.1x |
| Microsoft Project | 3 of 20 | 0.7x |
| Email software | 3 of 20 | 0.5x |
| Microsoft Outlook | 11 of 20 | 0.8x |
| Web browser software | 4 of 20 | 0.4x |
| Microsoft Word | 12 of 20 | 0.7x |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | 8 of 20 | 0.6x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.75 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.75 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.00 | 2.25 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.00 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 2.88 | 2.25 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 2.62 | 2.00 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 2.50 | 2.50 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 2.38 | 2.12 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 1.88 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 1.88 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.12 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 1.00 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.25 | not rated |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Science | Essential skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.78 | 3.46 |
| English Language | 3.53 | 3.13 |
| Food Production | 3.37 | 2.71 |
| Mathematics | 3.04 | 2.45 |
| Computers and Electronics | 2.70 | 2.70 |
| Administration and Management | 2.58 | 2.59 |
| Sales and Marketing | 2.54 | 1.97 |
| Production and Processing | 2.40 | 2.28 |
| Administrative | 2.35 | 2.27 |
| Education and Training | 2.33 | 1.88 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.27 | 1.82 |
| Foreign Language | 2.21 | 1.25 |
| Economics and Accounting | 2.15 | 2.00 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.11 | 1.75 |
| Engineering and Technology | 1.90 | 0.98 |
| Telecommunications | 1.80 | 0.95 |
| Transportation | 1.73 | 0.86 |
| Psychology | 1.72 | 1.14 |
| Chemistry | 1.60 | 1.13 |
| Design | 1.58 | not rated |
| Communications and Media | 1.57 | 1.10 |
| Law and Government | 1.51 | not rated |
| Biology | 1.47 | not rated |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.43 | not rated |
| Geography | 1.39 | not rated |
| Physics | 1.38 | not rated |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.36 | 0.69 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.32 | not rated |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.31 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.30 | not rated |
| Building and Construction | 1.26 | not rated |
| Mechanical | 1.26 | not rated |
| History and Archeology | 1.25 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Comprehension | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Oral Expression | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Near Vision | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.88 | 2.38 |
| Time Sharing | 2.88 | 2.00 |
| Manual Dexterity | 2.75 | 2.12 |
| Information Ordering | 2.75 | 2.00 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 2.62 | 2.38 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 2.62 | 2.12 |
| Selective Attention | 2.62 | 2.00 |
| Far Vision | 2.50 | 2.50 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.38 | 2.00 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Finger Dexterity | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Memorization | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Written Comprehension | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Number Facility | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Stamina | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Category Flexibility | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Control Precision | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Written Expression | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Originality | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.00 | 1.38 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.00 | 1.25 |
| Reaction Time | 2.00 | 1.12 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 1.88 | 1.00 |
| Visualization | 1.75 | 1.12 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 1.75 | 1.00 |
| Static Strength | 1.75 | 0.88 |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.75 | 0.75 |
| Response Orientation | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Depth Perception | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Rate Control | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.25 | not rated |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.25 | not rated |
| Explosive Strength | 1.12 | not rated |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.00 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Sound Localization | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Facebook hot
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- Microsoft Windows hot
- Aldelo Systems Aldelo for Restaurants Pro
- Compris software
- Foodman Home-Delivery
- Intuit QuickBooks Point of Sale
- MICROS Systems HSI Profits Series
- Menu and nutrition database software
- NCR Advanced Checkout Solution
- NCR NeighborhoodPOS
- Plexis Software Plexis POS
- Quizlet
- RestaurantPlus PRO
- The General Store
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence, KS | 2,880 | 2.25 | $28,320 |
| Eagle Pass, TX | 1,020 | 2.18 | $24,570 |
| Hinesville, GA | 1,030 | 2.04 | $25,210 |
| Warner Robins, GA | 3,650 | 1.93 | $26,610 |
| Lubbock, TX | 7,930 | 1.92 | $25,250 |
| Killeen-Temple, TX | 7,120 | 1.91 | $26,530 |
| Muncie, IN | 2,120 | 1.91 | $27,560 |
| Guayama, PR | 550 | 1.78 | $21,920 |
| Valdosta, GA | 2,380 | 1.78 | $23,100 |
| Victoria, TX | 1,680 | 1.78 | $24,510 |