Fast Food and Counter Workers salary in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Fast Food and Counter Workers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Pennsylvania tax rules.
The figures
The median Fast Food and Counter Workers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area earns $32,220 a year ($15.49 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Fast Food and Counter Workers in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD earn between $29,440 and $34,900 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $23,790 or less and the top 10 percent earn $36,920 or more. BLS estimates 69,080 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area — 23.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.96 (about the same concentration as the nation). That is 1.8% of all Fast Food and Counter Workers employment in the United States (3,854,050 jobs nationally). By employment, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD is the #7 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Fast Food and Counter Workers. In aggregate, Fast Food and Counter Workers in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD earn about $2.20 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $26,817.02 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Fast Food and Counter Workers is about $1.85 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 3.2% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD stands #15 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Fast Food and Counter Workers. By employment, Fast Food and Counter Workers is the #3 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD. Placed against the national distribution for Fast Food and Counter Workers, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $32,220 falls between the national median ($31,200) and the national 75th percentile ($36,070). Across all occupations, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median is $54,310 a year — Fast Food and Counter Workers pay is 40.7% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $15.33 | $31,880 |
| 10th percentile | $11.44 | $23,790 |
| 25th percentile | $14.16 | $29,440 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $15.49 | $32,220 |
| 75th percentile | $16.78 | $34,900 |
| 90th percentile | $17.75 | $36,920 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Fast Food and Counter Workers in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD earn 1.6 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($36,920 against $23,790). The middle half spans $5,460 — from $29,440 to $34,900. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($17.75) is 1.55 times the 10th ($11.44). In the upper half of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $34,900 takes home $29,150.88 and the 90th percentile wage of $36,920 takes home $30,711.98 — $1,561.10 more net for $2,020 more gross. Against the median take-home of $27,079.80, the top decile keeps 1.13 times as much. The mean wage of $31,880 sits 1.1% below the median: the average is held down by the lower end of the distribution in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD. Among the 30 covered occupations in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, Fast Food and Counter Workers ranks #29 by median pay. In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD wage ladder of covered occupations, Fast Food and Counter Workers sits between Cashiers at $33,050 and Home Health and Personal Care Aides at $29,800. Fast Food and Counter Workers accounts for 2.4% of all employment in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area. The average covered metro employs 62,486 Fast Food and Counter Workers; Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD employs 1.1 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Pennsylvania
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Pennsylvania; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $32,220.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $1,686.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $1,997.64 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $467.19 |
| Pennsylvania income tax | $989.15 |
| Total deductions | $5,140.20 |
| Net pay (annual) | $27,079.80 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,041.53 |
| Total deduction rate | 15.95% of gross |
At the median, $27,079.80 of the $32,220 gross is kept ($1,041.53 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 15.95%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 13.95% at the 10th percentile, 15.31% at the 25th percentile, 16.47% at the 75th percentile, 16.81% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $4,219.54 on a gross rise of $5,460.
The same engine at the other published points of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($23,790) | $20,470.58 | $787.33 | 13.95% |
| 25th percentile ($29,440) | $24,931.34 | $958.90 | 15.31% |
| Median ($32,220) | $27,079.80 | $1,041.53 | 15.95% |
| 75th percentile ($34,900) | $29,150.88 | $1,121.19 | 16.47% |
| 90th percentile ($36,920) | $30,711.98 | $1,181.23 | 16.81% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $20,470.58 a year at the 10th percentile to $30,711.98 at the 90th — a spread of $10,241.40 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median wage of $54,310 takes home $44,150.50 a year ($1,698.10 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.71%). The Fast Food and Counter Workers median take-home of $27,079.80 sits $17,070.70 (below that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD also covers parts of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland. The take-home estimate above uses Pennsylvania rules — the metro area's primary state. If the job is based in another part of the metro area, the state tax changes: see the New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland paycheck calculators.
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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $32,220 is $1,020 (3.3%) above the national median.
The means rank the area differently: $31,880 a year in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD against $32,150 nationally, a gap of $270 (0.8%).
Set against the whole local market, the Fast Food and Counter Workers 90th percentile of $36,920 is 28% of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD all-occupations 90th percentile ($130,280), and its 10th percentile of $23,790 is 76% of the area-wide 10th ($31,200).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $32,220 | $15.49 | $31,880 |
| United States | $31,200 | $15.00 | $32,150 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
$32,220 a year ($15.49 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $31,880 a year. Ranked by median pay, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD stands #15 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $32,220 in Pennsylvania?
About $27,079.80 a year ($1,041.53 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 15.95% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $34,900, take-home is $29,150.88.
How does pay in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD compare with the national median for Fast Food and Counter Workers?
The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $32,220 is $1,020 (3.3%) above the national median of $31,200 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $36,920, against a national 90th percentile of $42,650.
How much do the top 10% of Fast Food and Counter Workers earn in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
$36,920 a year or more ($17.75 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
On $36,920 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $30,711.98 a year ($1,181.23 per biweekly paycheck) in Pennsylvania under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 16.81%.
How many Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs are there in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
BLS estimates 69,080 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area — 23.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
The location quotient is 0.96 — about the same concentration as the nation. 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
From $20,470.58 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($23,790) to $30,711.98 at the 90th ($36,920), under the same single-filer assumptions in Pennsylvania.
What is the total wage bill for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
About $2.20 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 69,080 multiplied by the mean wage of $31,880.
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.