Fast Food and Counter Workers salary in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Fast Food and Counter Workers in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Colorado tax rules.
The figures
The median Fast Food and Counter Workers in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area earns $37,070 a year ($17.82 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Fast Food and Counter Workers in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO earn between $35,980 and $37,940 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $33,230 or less and the top 10 percent earn $44,420 or more. BLS estimates 42,810 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO area — 26.601 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.07 (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, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO is the #15 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Fast Food and Counter Workers. In aggregate, Fast Food and Counter Workers in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO earn about $1.64 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $31,931.36 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Fast Food and Counter Workers is about $1.37 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 4.2% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO stands #6 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Fast Food and Counter Workers. By employment, Fast Food and Counter Workers is the #1 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO. Placed against the national distribution for Fast Food and Counter Workers, the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median of $37,070 falls above the national 75th percentile of $36,070. Across all occupations, the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median is $62,320 a year — Fast Food and Counter Workers pay is 40.5% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $18.38 | $38,240 |
| 10th percentile | $15.98 | $33,230 |
| 25th percentile | $17.30 | $35,980 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $17.82 | $37,070 |
| 75th percentile | $18.24 | $37,940 |
| 90th percentile | $21.36 | $44,420 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Fast Food and Counter Workers in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO earn 1.3 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($44,420 against $33,230). The middle half spans $1,960 — from $35,980 to $37,940. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($21.36) is 1.34 times the 10th ($15.98). In the upper half of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $37,940 takes home $31,703.90 and the 90th percentile wage of $44,420 takes home $36,625.46 — $4,921.56 more net for $6,480 more gross. Against the median take-home of $31,042.94, the top decile keeps 1.18 times as much. The mean wage of $38,240 sits 3.2% above the median: higher-paid Fast Food and Counter Workers pull the average up in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO. Among the 30 covered occupations in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, Fast Food and Counter Workers ranks #30 by median pay. In the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO wage ladder of covered occupations, Fast Food and Counter Workers sits just below Cashiers at $37,620. Fast Food and Counter Workers accounts for 2.7% of all employment in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area. The average covered metro employs 62,486 Fast Food and Counter Workers; Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO employs 0.7 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Colorado
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Colorado; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $37,070.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,268.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,298.34 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $537.51 |
| Colorado income tax | $922.68 |
| Total deductions | $6,027.06 |
| Net pay (annual) | $31,042.94 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,193.96 |
| Total deduction rate | 16.26% of gross |
At the median, $31,042.94 of the $37,070 gross is kept ($1,193.96 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 16.26%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 15.36% at the 10th percentile, 16.02% at the 25th percentile, 16.44% at the 75th percentile, 17.55% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $1,488.88 on a gross rise of $1,960.
The same engine at the other published points of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($33,230) | $28,126.72 | $1,081.80 | 15.36% |
| 25th percentile ($35,980) | $30,215.02 | $1,162.12 | 16.02% |
| Median ($37,070) | $31,042.94 | $1,193.96 | 16.26% |
| 75th percentile ($37,940) | $31,703.90 | $1,219.38 | 16.44% |
| 90th percentile ($44,420) | $36,625.46 | $1,408.67 | 17.55% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $28,126.72 a year at the 10th percentile to $36,625.46 at the 90th — a spread of $8,498.74 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median wage of $62,320 takes home $50,220.38 a year ($1,931.55 per paycheck, deduction rate 19.42%). The Fast Food and Counter Workers median take-home of $31,042.94 sits $19,177.44 (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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median of $37,070 is $5,870 (18.8%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $38,240 a year in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO against $32,150 nationally, a gap of $6,090 (18.9%).
Set against the whole local market, the Fast Food and Counter Workers 90th percentile of $44,420 is 30% of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO all-occupations 90th percentile ($149,200), and its 10th percentile of $33,230 is 89% of the area-wide 10th ($37,490).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $37,070 | $17.82 | $38,240 |
| United States | $31,200 | $15.00 | $32,150 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
$37,070 a year ($17.82 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $38,240 a year. Ranked by median pay, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO stands #6 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $37,070 in Colorado?
About $31,042.94 a year ($1,193.96 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 16.26% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $37,940, take-home is $31,703.90.
How does pay in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO compare with the national median for Fast Food and Counter Workers?
The Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median of $37,070 is $5,870 (18.8%) above the national median of $31,200 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $44,420, against a national 90th percentile of $42,650.
How much do the top 10% of Fast Food and Counter Workers earn in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
$44,420 a year or more ($21.36 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
On $44,420 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $36,625.46 a year ($1,408.67 per biweekly paycheck) in Colorado under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 17.55%.
How many Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs are there in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
BLS estimates 42,810 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area — 26.601 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
The location quotient is 1.07 — 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
From $28,126.72 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($33,230) to $36,625.46 at the 90th ($44,420), under the same single-filer assumptions in Colorado.
What is the total wage bill for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
About $1.64 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 42,810 multiplied by the mean wage of $38,240.
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.