Fast Food and Counter Workers salary in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Fast Food and Counter Workers in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Washington tax rules.
The figures
The median Fast Food and Counter Workers in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area earns $39,150 a year ($18.82 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Fast Food and Counter Workers in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA earn between $36,690 and $45,250 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $35,580 or less and the top 10 percent earn $50,980 or more. BLS estimates 49,190 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area — 23.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.95 (about the same concentration as the nation). That is 1.3% of all Fast Food and Counter Workers employment in the United States (3,854,050 jobs nationally). By employment, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA is the #14 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Fast Food and Counter Workers. In aggregate, Fast Food and Counter Workers in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA earn about $2.08 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $35,890.78 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Fast Food and Counter Workers is about $1.77 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 5.2% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA stands #5 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA. Placed against the national distribution for Fast Food and Counter Workers, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median of $39,150 falls above the national 75th percentile of $36,070. Across all occupations, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median is $72,610 a year — Fast Food and Counter Workers pay is 46.1% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $20.32 | $42,260 |
| 10th percentile | $17.11 | $35,580 |
| 25th percentile | $17.64 | $36,690 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $18.82 | $39,150 |
| 75th percentile | $21.75 | $45,250 |
| 90th percentile | $24.51 | $50,980 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Fast Food and Counter Workers in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA earn 1.4 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($50,980 against $35,580). The middle half spans $8,560 — from $36,690 to $45,250. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($24.51) is 1.43 times the 10th ($17.11). In the upper half of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $45,250 takes home $38,276.02 and the 90th percentile wage of $50,980 takes home $42,846.68 — $4,570.66 more net for $5,730 more gross. Against the median take-home of $33,409.98, the top decile keeps 1.28 times as much. The mean wage of $42,260 sits 7.9% above the median: higher-paid Fast Food and Counter Workers pull the average up in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA. Among the 30 covered occupations in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, Fast Food and Counter Workers ranks #30 by median pay. In the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA wage ladder of covered occupations, Fast Food and Counter Workers sits just below Retail Salespersons at $42,080. Fast Food and Counter Workers accounts for 2.4% of all employment in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area. The average covered metro employs 62,486 Fast Food and Counter Workers; Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA employs 0.8 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Washington
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Washington; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $39,150.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,518.00 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,427.30 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $567.67 |
| Washington income tax | $0.00 |
| WA Cares Fund (long-term care premium) | $227.07 |
| Total deductions | $5,740.02 |
| Net pay (annual) | $33,409.98 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,285.00 |
| Total deduction rate | 14.66% of gross |
At the median, $33,409.98 of the $39,150 gross is kept ($1,285.00 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 14.66%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 14.10% at the 10th percentile, 14.29% at the 25th percentile, 15.41% at the 75th percentile, 15.95% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $6,828.14 on a gross rise of $8,560.
The same engine at the other published points of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($35,580) | $30,562.26 | $1,175.47 | 14.10% |
| 25th percentile ($36,690) | $31,447.88 | $1,209.53 | 14.29% |
| Median ($39,150) | $33,409.98 | $1,285.00 | 14.66% |
| 75th percentile ($45,250) | $38,276.02 | $1,472.15 | 15.41% |
| 90th percentile ($50,980) | $42,846.68 | $1,647.95 | 15.95% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $30,562.26 a year at the 10th percentile to $42,846.68 at the 90th — a spread of $12,284.42 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median wage of $72,610 takes home $59,489.88 a year ($2,288.07 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.07%). The Fast Food and Counter Workers median take-home of $33,409.98 sits $26,079.90 (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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median of $39,150 is $7,950 (25.5%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $42,260 a year in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA against $32,150 nationally, a gap of $10,110 (31.4%).
Set against the whole local market, the Fast Food and Counter Workers 90th percentile of $50,980 is 30% of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA all-occupations 90th percentile ($167,440), and its 10th percentile of $35,580 is 84% of the area-wide 10th ($42,280).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $39,150 | $18.82 | $42,260 |
| United States | $31,200 | $15.00 | $32,150 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
$39,150 a year ($18.82 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $42,260 a year. Ranked by median pay, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA stands #5 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $39,150 in Washington?
About $33,409.98 a year ($1,285.00 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 14.66% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $45,250, take-home is $38,276.02.
How does pay in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA compare with the national median for Fast Food and Counter Workers?
The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median of $39,150 is $7,950 (25.5%) above the national median of $31,200 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $50,980, against a national 90th percentile of $42,650.
How much do the top 10% of Fast Food and Counter Workers earn in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
$50,980 a year or more ($24.51 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
On $50,980 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $42,846.68 a year ($1,647.95 per biweekly paycheck) in Washington under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 15.95%.
How many Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs are there in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
BLS estimates 49,190 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area — 23.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
The location quotient is 0.95 — 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
From $30,562.26 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($35,580) to $42,846.68 at the 90th ($50,980), under the same single-filer assumptions in Washington.
What is the total wage bill for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
About $2.08 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 49,190 multiplied by the mean wage of $42,260.
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.