Fast Food and Counter Workers salary in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Fast Food and Counter Workers in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Georgia tax rules.
The figures
The median Fast Food and Counter Workers in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area earns $27,780 a year ($13.36 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Fast Food and Counter Workers in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA earn between $23,020 and $33,050 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $21,830 or less and the top 10 percent earn $37,030 or more. BLS estimates 80,730 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA area — 27.936 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.13 (above the national concentration). That is 2.1% of all Fast Food and Counter Workers employment in the United States (3,854,050 jobs nationally). By employment, Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA is the #6 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Fast Food and Counter Workers. In aggregate, Fast Food and Counter Workers in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA earn about $2.29 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $24,282.18 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Fast Food and Counter Workers is about $1.96 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 5.1% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA stands #24 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA. Placed against the national distribution for Fast Food and Counter Workers, the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA median of $27,780 falls between the national 25th percentile ($27,700) and the national median ($31,200). Across all occupations, the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA median is $51,170 a year — Fast Food and Counter Workers pay is 45.7% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $13.62 | $28,340 |
| 10th percentile | $10.50 | $21,830 |
| 25th percentile | $11.07 | $23,020 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $13.36 | $27,780 |
| 75th percentile | $15.89 | $33,050 |
| 90th percentile | $17.80 | $37,030 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Fast Food and Counter Workers in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA earn 1.7 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($37,030 against $21,830). The middle half spans $10,030 — from $23,020 to $33,050. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($17.80) is 1.70 times the 10th ($10.50). In the upper half of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $33,050 takes home $27,835.18 and the 90th percentile wage of $37,030 takes home $30,834.46 — $2,999.28 more net for $3,980 more gross. Against the median take-home of $23,849.32, the top decile keeps 1.29 times as much. The mean wage of $28,340 sits 2.0% above the median: higher-paid Fast Food and Counter Workers pull the average up in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA. Among the 30 covered occupations in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA, Fast Food and Counter Workers ranks #29 by median pay. In the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA wage ladder of covered occupations, Fast Food and Counter Workers sits between Home Health and Personal Care Aides at $29,920 and Waiters and Waitresses at $18,460. Fast Food and Counter Workers accounts for 2.8% of all employment in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area. The average covered metro employs 62,486 Fast Food and Counter Workers; Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA employs 1.3 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Georgia
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Georgia; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $27,780.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $1,168.00 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $1,722.36 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $402.81 |
| Georgia income tax | $637.72 |
| Total deductions | $3,930.68 |
| Net pay (annual) | $23,849.32 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $917.28 |
| Total deduction rate | 14.15% of gross |
At the median, $23,849.32 of the $27,780 gross is kept ($917.28 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 14.15%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 11.84% at the 10th percentile, 12.39% at the 25th percentile, 15.78% at the 75th percentile, 16.73% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $7,668.42 on a gross rise of $10,030.
The same engine at the other published points of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($21,830) | $19,246.12 | $740.24 | 11.84% |
| 25th percentile ($23,020) | $20,166.76 | $775.64 | 12.39% |
| Median ($27,780) | $23,849.32 | $917.28 | 14.15% |
| 75th percentile ($33,050) | $27,835.18 | $1,070.58 | 15.78% |
| 90th percentile ($37,030) | $30,834.46 | $1,185.94 | 16.73% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $19,246.12 a year at the 10th percentile to $30,834.46 at the 90th — a spread of $11,588.34 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA median wage of $51,170 takes home $41,490.20 a year ($1,595.78 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.92%). The Fast Food and Counter Workers median take-home of $23,849.32 sits $17,640.88 (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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA median of $27,780 is $3,420 (11.0%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $28,340 a year in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA against $32,150 nationally, a gap of $3,810 (11.9%).
Set against the whole local market, the Fast Food and Counter Workers 90th percentile of $37,030 is 28% of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA all-occupations 90th percentile ($132,230), and its 10th percentile of $21,830 is 75% of the area-wide 10th ($29,110).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $27,780 | $13.36 | $28,340 |
| United States | $31,200 | $15.00 | $32,150 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA?
$27,780 a year ($13.36 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $28,340 a year. Ranked by median pay, Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA stands #24 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $27,780 in Georgia?
About $23,849.32 a year ($917.28 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 14.15% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $33,050, take-home is $27,835.18.
How does pay in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA compare with the national median for Fast Food and Counter Workers?
The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA median of $27,780 is $3,420 (11.0%) below the national median of $31,200 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $37,030, against a national 90th percentile of $42,650.
How much do the top 10% of Fast Food and Counter Workers earn in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA?
$37,030 a year or more ($17.80 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA?
On $37,030 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $30,834.46 a year ($1,185.94 per biweekly paycheck) in Georgia under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 16.73%.
How many Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs are there in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA?
BLS estimates 80,730 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area — 27.936 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA?
The location quotient is 1.13 — 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA?
From $19,246.12 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($21,830) to $30,834.46 at the 90th ($37,030), under the same single-filer assumptions in Georgia.
What is the total wage bill for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA?
About $2.29 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 80,730 multiplied by the mean wage of $28,340.
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.