Fast Food and Counter Workers salary in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Fast Food and Counter Workers in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, 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 Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area earns $43,870 a year ($21.09 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 Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA earn between $38,260 and $48,420 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $36,460 or less and the top 10 percent earn $55,210 or more. BLS estimates 49,970 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area — 21.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.85 (below the national concentration). That is 1.3% of all Fast Food and Counter Workers employment in the United States (3,854,050 jobs nationally). By employment, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is the #13 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Fast Food and Counter Workers. In aggregate, Fast Food and Counter Workers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA earn about $2.23 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $36,719.12 a year, so the aggregate take-home of San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA Fast Food and Counter Workers is about $1.83 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 4% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA stands #1 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. Placed against the national distribution for Fast Food and Counter Workers, the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median of $43,870 falls above the national 75th percentile of $36,070. Across all occupations, the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median is $74,260 a year — Fast Food and Counter Workers pay is 40.9% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $21.45 | $44,620 |
| 10th percentile | $17.53 | $36,460 |
| 25th percentile | $18.40 | $38,260 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $21.09 | $43,870 |
| 75th percentile | $23.28 | $48,420 |
| 90th percentile | $26.54 | $55,210 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Fast Food and Counter Workers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA earn 1.5 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($55,210 against $36,460). The middle half spans $10,160 — from $38,260 to $48,420. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($26.54) is 1.51 times the 10th ($17.53). In the upper half of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $48,420 takes home $39,571.16 and the 90th percentile wage of $55,210 takes home $44,537.78 — $4,966.62 more net for $6,790 more gross. Against the median take-home of $36,156.06, the top decile keeps 1.23 times as much. The mean wage of $44,620 sits 1.7% above the median: higher-paid Fast Food and Counter Workers pull the average up in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. Among the 30 covered occupations in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, Fast Food and Counter Workers ranks #26 by median pay. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA wage ladder of covered occupations, Fast Food and Counter Workers sits between Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners at $44,180 and Retail Salespersons at $43,850. Fast Food and Counter Workers accounts for 2.1% of all employment in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area. The average covered metro employs 62,486 Fast Food and Counter Workers; San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA employs 0.8 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) | $43,870.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $3,084.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,719.94 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $636.12 |
| California income tax | $703.10 |
| California SDI (State Disability Insurance) | $570.31 |
| Total deductions | $7,713.94 |
| Net pay (annual) | $36,156.06 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,390.62 |
| Total deduction rate | 17.58% of gross |
At the median, $36,156.06 of the $43,870 gross is kept ($1,390.62 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 17.58%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 16.09% at the 10th percentile, 16.50% at the 25th percentile, 18.28% at the 75th percentile, 19.33% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $7,625.52 on a gross rise of $10,160.
The same engine at the other published points of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($36,460) | $30,595.18 | $1,176.74 | 16.09% |
| 25th percentile ($38,260) | $31,945.64 | $1,228.68 | 16.50% |
| Median ($43,870) | $36,156.06 | $1,390.62 | 17.58% |
| 75th percentile ($48,420) | $39,571.16 | $1,521.97 | 18.28% |
| 90th percentile ($55,210) | $44,537.78 | $1,712.99 | 19.33% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $30,595.18 a year at the 10th percentile to $44,537.78 at the 90th — a spread of $13,942.60 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median wage of $74,260 takes home $57,500.66 a year ($2,211.56 per paycheck, deduction rate 22.57%). The Fast Food and Counter Workers median take-home of $36,156.06 sits $21,344.60 (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 Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median of $43,870 is $12,670 (40.6%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $44,620 a year in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA against $32,150 nationally, a gap of $12,470 (38.8%).
Set against the whole local market, the Fast Food and Counter Workers 90th percentile of $55,210 is 27% of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA all-occupations 90th percentile ($203,570), and its 10th percentile of $36,460 is 93% of the area-wide 10th ($39,260).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $43,870 | $21.09 | $44,620 |
| United States | $31,200 | $15.00 | $32,150 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Fast Food and Counter Workers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
$43,870 a year ($21.09 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $44,620 a year. Ranked by median pay, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA stands #1 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $43,870 in California?
About $36,156.06 a year ($1,390.62 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 17.58% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $48,420, take-home is $39,571.16.
How does pay in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA compare with the national median for Fast Food and Counter Workers?
The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median of $43,870 is $12,670 (40.6%) above the national median of $31,200 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $55,210, against a national 90th percentile of $42,650.
How much do the top 10% of Fast Food and Counter Workers earn in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
$55,210 a year or more ($26.54 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 Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
On $55,210 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $44,537.78 a year ($1,712.99 per biweekly paycheck) in California under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 19.33%.
How many Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs are there in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
BLS estimates 49,970 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area — 21.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
The location quotient is 0.85 — below 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 Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
From $30,595.18 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($36,460) to $44,537.78 at the 90th ($55,210), under the same single-filer assumptions in California.
What is the total wage bill for Fast Food and Counter Workers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
About $2.23 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 49,970 multiplied by the mean wage of $44,620.
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.